Lark-like Bunting

Emberiza impetuani

A dull, nondescript, slender buffy bunting. Subtle features include a rusty wing panel, a pale spot near the ear, a buffy eyebrow, and a small pale silvery bill. Pairs can be low-density residents, but typically the species is nomadic, and large flocks irrupt into the semi-arid Karoo, Kalahari, and Namib after rainfall events; but it may reach savanna and other atypical habitats, particularly in drier years. It prefers areas with bare stony soil and often is found close to pools of drinking water. The song is a short series of varied scratchy trills, but the distinctive flight call is short, dry, crisp one-note “tec” which often betrays its presence. It often flocks with other seedeaters, lacking the black belly patch of the otherwise similar female sparrow-larks.

Identification

The lark-like bunting (Emberiza impetuani) is a species of bird in the family Emberizidae, which is native to south-western Africa. It is found in Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry shrubland.

Taxonomy

Genus: Emberiza; Family: Emberizidae; Order: Passeriformes.

Scientific name
Emberiza impetuani
Authority
Smith, A, 1836
Order
Passeriformes
Family
Emberizidae
Genus
Emberiza

Range and habitat

Migration
Nomadic

Behavior

Migration pattern: Nomadic.

Conservation

Population trend: stable.

Population trend
stable

Photos

Distribution

Bird Calls

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