Red-capped Lark - BirdForum Opus

Photo © by Tib78
Kazinga Channel, Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda, December 2014

Calandrella cinerea

Identification

Female
Photo © by Dave Clark
Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya, August 2018

14–15 cm (5½-6 in)

Has a crest which is normally not obvious but is used as part of the courtship display.
Red Crown and patch at side of breast

Distribution

Africa - North of 5 degrees South it is mainly confined to the highland areas of the East. Below 5 degrees South it is widespread.

Taxonomy

Subspecies

Juvenile
Photo © by volker sthamer
Ngorongoro, Tanzania, September 2017

There are 9 subspecies^[1]:

C. c. rufipecta:

Central Nigeria (Jos Plateau)

C. c. saturatior:

Democratic Republic of the Congo east to Uganda and western Tanzania, south of Angola (except for the northwest and south), northern Zambia, and Malawi

C. c. williamsi:

Southern Kenya and northern Tanzania

C. c. spleniata:

South-western Angola and north-western Namibia

C. c. fulvida:

Southern Angola, southern Zambia and Zimbabwe

C. c. alluvia:

Coastal southern Mozambique; disperses inland to northern Botswana

C. c. millardi:

Southern Botswana

C. c. cinerea:

Southern Namibia and western South Africa

C. c. niveni:

Eastern South Africa

Habitat

Found mostly on bare ground in small flocks.

Behaviour

Diet

Their diet consists mostly of seeds from grass and sedges, insects, such as caterpillars and bugs and snails.

References

Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, S. M. Billerman, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2021. The eBird/Clements checklist of Birds of the World: v2021. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved Dec 2017)

List of references

Recommended Citation

BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Red-capped Lark. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 27 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Red-capped_Lark

External Links

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