Monotonous Lark
Mirafra passerina
A medium-small, compact lark with a small bill, a plain face, and an indistinct eyebrow. It has streaky upperparts with a distinct rufous wing panel and a lightly-streaked buffy chest that separates the white throat from the pale belly. Its movement patterns are poorly understood; it is nomadic, appearing unpredictably in large numbers to breed after rain. The male sits on perches, incessantly singing a croaking, gurgling, distinctive four-note “for-syrup-is-sweet” song every 3-5 seconds for hours on end, day and night, earning it its name. When singing, the male stretches its neck, puffs out its whitish throat feathers, and raises a small crest. Occasionally the male rises up 5-10 meters in the air on rapidly flapping wings, sings, and parachutes back down to a prominent perch. The similar Latakoo Lark is smaller than the Monotonous Lark, with a bolder facial pattern including an eyebrow, and a different song and display.
Identification
The monotonous lark (Mirafra passerina) is a species of lark in the family Alaudidae found in southern Africa.
Taxonomy
The alternate names "white-tailed lark" and "white-tailed bush-lark" should not be confused with the species of the same name, Mirafra albicauda. Other alternate names include monotonous bush lark and Southern white-tailed bush-lark.
- Scientific name
- Mirafra passerina
- Authority
- Gyldenstolpe, 1926
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Alaudidae
- Genus
- Mirafra
Range and habitat
Its natural habitats are dry savanna and subtropical or tropical dry lowland grassland. The range of the monotonous lark is quite broad, extending over six countries: Angola, Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Its global extent of occurrence is estimated at 1,400,000 km2.
- Migration
- Nomadic
Behavior
Migration pattern: Nomadic.
Conservation
Population trend: declining.
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
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