Rufous-capped Lark
Calandrella eremica
A medium-sized slender pipit-like lark with a long tail and relatively weak bill. A washed-out version of Blanford’s and Red-capped Llarks, which it replaces on the Somali and Arabian peninsulasNote whitish eyebrow and diffuse reddish-brown crown that can be raised into a small crest. Some individuals have pale reddish-brown sides to the chest on otherwise very plain pale underparts. Pairs and small flocks are resident and partial migrants in open and sparsely vegetated regions, including stony areas. Pairs or small groups forage on the ground, where they can be surprisingly cryptic, running around in short bursts and stopping to forage. It can also be found drinking at waterholes. The song, often given in an extended undulating pipit-like display flight, is a series of unmusical whistles and trills incorporating mimicry of other birds.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Calandrella eremica
- Authority
- (Reichenow & Peters, N, 1932)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Alaudidae
- Genus
- Calandrella
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- unknown
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Wilson's Phalarope
Phalaropus tricolor
Slender shorebird known for spinning frantically on water to stir up small invertebrates. Note needle-thin bill, longer and thinner than other phalaropes. Breeding females are brighter and more contrasting than males: note gray cap, peachy-orange neck with broad black stripe, and gray-and-rufous back. Males are duller with plainer grayish-brown upperparts and a less distinct dark neck stripe. Nonbreeding birds are very pale gray above and white below with a rather plain face and yellowish legs. Juveniles show crisp buffy edges on wing feathers. Prefers shallow ponds, marshes, and lakes, sometimes in large flocks. Can mix with Red-necked Phalarope; Wilson’s is larger, lankier, and longer-billed. Feeds frantically, more often on land than other phalaropes. Never on the open ocean. Most common in western North America; uncommon to rare in the east. Winters as far south as Tierra del Fuego.
Bahama Yellowthroat
Geothlypis rostrata
A largish, slow-moving warbler that inhabits thick vegetation from marshes to pine woodlands with dense thatch-palm undergrowth. Rather similar to Common Yellowthroat, but larger and more robust with a proportionately heavier bill. Males are entirely yellow below unlike Common Yellowthroats of eastern North America. The black mask of the Bahama Yellowthroat does not narrow towards the bill as it typically does in the Common. On the Andros Islands and New Providence, the crown is gray, unlike Common. Similarly, female Bahama Yellowthroats are more extensive yellow below but often have some gray on the lower belly. Songs and calls resemble those of Common, but the “tchuck” note lacks vibrato.
White-bellied Minivet
Pericrocotus erythropygius
A beautiful minivet inhabiting open, dry scrub and savanna with scattered acacia (Prosopis) growth. The male has a glossy black upper body, face, and neck. The breast region has a round orange patch, with the rest of the underparts white. The tail is black, with an orange rump and white markings on the wings. The plumage of the male of this bird is reminiscent of breeding male stonechats. The female is duller in appearance, with dark gray upperparts, black wings, a black tail, and dark black lores. The wings have white markings similar to the males’, and the rump is orange. The species usually moves in small groups, feeding mainly on insects.
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