Williams's Lark
Mirafra williamsi
A small, compact lark with variable dark- to rusty-brown upperparts, sometimes with darker streaks or feather centers, pale eyebrows and throat, and a pale belly that contrasts with the heavily streaked chest, often washed rufous. The tail is brownish with white outer feathers that are conspicuous in flight. Restricted to a very specific habitat, rocky lava-strewn plains in semi-desert, in two areas of Kenya. Vocalizations are poorly known, but a loud “tsireet” has been recorded during the display flight. Other similar larks are generally less rusty and less streaked on the chest.
Taxonomy
The bird is named after John George Williams (1913–1997) a British ornithologist who was curator of the Coryndon Museum in Nairobi, Kenya (now called the National Museums of Kenya). Alternate names for Williams's lark include Marsabit lark and Williams's bush lark.
- Scientific name
- Mirafra williamsi
- Authority
- Macdonald, 1956
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Alaudidae
- Genus
- Mirafra
Range and habitat
In general, the natural habitat of M. williamsi is subtropical or tropical dry shrubland. Its range is restricted to northern Kenya where it is found in two disjunct populations:<p>One population is located north of Marsabit, in the Didi Galgalla desert, a region marked by plains of rocky, red lava soils and patches of short-grass and bushes.<p>The other inhabits a particular area (elevated between 600 m and 1,350 m) lying between Isiolo and Garba Tula. It has even, unbroken communities of Barleria shrubs.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
The males of the species perform long, drawn-out, conspicuous song-flights above their territories after the rains at dawn, making them easy to find at this time.<p>Williams's larks consume various seeds and insects.
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Other Birds
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Medium-sized, long-tailed thornbird with a brown body and a rufous forehead and throat. The tail is rufous with a brown center. Resembles Orange-eyed Thornbird, but has dark eyes. An inhabitant of wet marshy areas with scattered trees, where unlike others thornbirds it builds large woven nests of grass, leaves, and stems. Song is a series of loud ringing notes, usually delivered as a duet.
Gabela Akalat
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A rather small, demure understory denizen resembling a cross between a robin and a flycatcher. Mostly dull brownish-olive with a rusty rump and a paler throat and belly. Juvenile is more mottled. A local and endangered bird found singly and in pairs in thick undergrowth of primary and secondary forest, thickets, and coffee plantations, resident in a narrow range along the Angolan escarpment between 810 and 1300 meters of elevation. Sits for long periods, sallying to catch insect prey. Calls include a soft series of descending whistles. May be mistaken for a flycatcher, but its furtive nature and preference for thick understory are unique within its range.
Tahiti Reed Warbler
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