Flappet Lark
Amirafra rufocinnamomea
A medium-sized, stocky lark with a small bill, a streaky head and back, and scalloped edges to the wing feathers that give it a scaly-backed appearance. The plumage varies geographically, with rusty to dark brown upperparts, buffy underparts, and a reddish wing panel visible in flight and when perched. Pairs prefer grassy savanna and open woodland, where they forage for insects by running furtively between clumps of grass and shrubs. The male gives a distinctive aerial display that involves the mechanical “clapping” of the wings beneath the body. He rises to 50-100 meters in the air and slowly circles his territory, giving a series of short (one-second) bursts of wing-clapping, typically rendered “prrrrrt, prrrrrt, prrrrt….” The may be accompanied by a simple canary-like song “cheeroo-weee.” The similar Rufous-naped Lark is larger, with a completely different display.
Taxonomy
The flappet lark and the Cape clapper lark are regarded as forming a superspecies with the Eastern clapper lark. The alternate name "cinnamon bush lark" is also an alternate name for Horsfield's bush lark.<p>Fifteen subspecies are recognized:
- Scientific name
- Amirafra rufocinnamomea
- Authority
- (Salvadori, 1866)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Alaudidae
- Genus
- Amirafra
Range and habitat
The flappet lark has a large range covering much of the African continent with an estimated global extent of occurrence of 10,000,000 km2. Its natural habitats are dry savannah, moist savannah, and subtropical or tropical dry lowland grassland.
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Crested Finchbill
Spizixos canifrons
Tea-green bulbul with a dark gray head and a spiffy erect crest. Black-crested Bulbul is structurally somewhat similar but is darker green with an all-black head and pale eyes. Crested Finchbill inhabits middle to upper-elevation forests and edges, where it often gathers in very large flocks. Bold and approachable; can often be found in field edges, parks, and gardens. Gives distinctively bubbly ascending trills, often in distinct phrases.
Vanuatu Megapode
Megapodius layardi
A large-bodied, small-headed, long-legged, mostly ground-dwelling bird. Easily identified by long bright yellowish legs, bright red face, entirely black round body, and bright orange bill. No similar birds inhabit Vanuatu. More inconspicuous than other scrubfowl, often sitting motionless in trees, but can be surprisingly tolerant of humans around settlements. Very vocal, especially at dawn and dusk, giving a loud far-carrying chuckling and chicken-like clucking, “toook took-tooor” repeated.
Yellow-billed Lorikeet
Neopsittacus musschenbroekii
A medium-sized, long-tailed parrot of mid-montane forest and edge. Predominantly green with a bright red patch from the chest, where it is broadest, to the belly. Yellow bill and lime green streaks radiating from the eye. Readily seen flying in small flocks. Similar to Orange-billed Lorikeet, but Yellow-billed Lorikeet is usually found at lower elevations, is slightly larger with an obviously yellow bill and reddish undertail. Call, a shrill, high-pitch “siiik!”.
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