Indochinese Bushlark
Plocealauda erythrocephala
Short-tailed lark with a streaky brown back and inky black streaks on the chest. General coloration very similar to various other larks, but the shorter tail Indochinese Bushlark separates it from Australasian Bushlark and migrant or vagrant larks. Song is a series of clear cricket-like trills, given from the ground, a perch, or the air. Calls include similar trilling, as well as whistles. Inhabits open dry land such as fields and grasslands with small trees and bushes dotted around. Unlike skylarks, readily perches on trees and bushes.
Taxonomy
Following work a decade ago by Per Alström, the Indochinese bush lark was split from the Bengal Bush Lark to form a separate species.
- Scientific name
- Plocealauda erythrocephala
- Authority
- Salvadori & Giglioli, 1885
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Ploceidae
- Genus
- Plocealauda
Range and habitat
The range of the Indochinese bush lark extends over a large swath of southeast Asia, and can be found in Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Laos.<p>The Indochinese bush lark is found in a variety of open-space habitats up to 900 m interspersed with trees and shrubs and has adapted to cultivated land. It also exists at forest margins, as well as thickets of bamboo.
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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Junco phaeonotus
This distinctive sparrow is common in open montane woodland usually dominated by pine. Primarily a Mexican species, barely enters U.S. Much like Gray-headed and Red-backed subspecies of Dark-eyed Junco but with staring yellow eye and rufous back usually extending onto wings. Otherwise pale gray, darkest around the eye. Bill half black, half yellow. White outer tail feathers like Dark-eyed Junco. Forages on the ground, but perches higher when singing. Song has a similar ringing tone to Dark-eyed Junco, but usually with several distinct sections of chips and trills.
Cape Sparrow
Passer melanurus
A handsome, unstreaked, brightly colored sparrow with different-looking males and females. The male has a distinctive black head and throat with a striking white crescent extending from the eye around the ear. The female has a pale gray head with a diffuse pale crescent, similar in shape to the male’s. Pairs and small flocks are resident in a wide variety of natural and human-altered habitats. House and Great Rufous Sparrows have streaked backs and lack the distinctive facial pattern of the Cape Sparrow.
Green-backed Honeybird
Prodotiscus zambesiae
Small and incredibly nondescript honeyguide. Note the small, sharp bill and the white outer tail feathers. Found along forest edge and in broadleaf woodland, especially miombo. Generally uncommon and inconspicuous, though it will join mixed flocks with other bird species. Vocalizations are a quick series of “jyet” notes and an explosive “skyeat” given in flight. Very similar to Wahlberg’s Honeyguide, but has an olive-green rather than brown back. Separated from other honeyguides by its small bill.
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