Chestnut-backed Sparrow-Lark

      Chestnut-backed Sparrow-Lark
      Male in South Africa
      Conservation status
      Scientific classification
      Kingdom: Animalia
      Phylum: Chordata
      Class: Aves
      Order: Passeriformes
      Family: Alaudidae
      Genus: Eremopterix
      Species: E. leucotis
      Binomial name
      Eremopterix leucotis
      (Stanley, 1814)

      The Chestnut-backed Sparrow-Lark (Eremopterix leucotis) is a passerine bird which is a resident breeder in Africa south of the Sahara Desert.

      This lark is a bird of open dry habitats. It nests on the ground and lays one egg. The food is insects and seeds.

      Illustration of a pair

      This is a small lark at 11 cm. The male is striking, with solid black underparts and head apart from brilliant white patches on the nape and behind the eyes. The upperparts and wings are chestnut with some dark streaking. The thick bill is grey.

      The female Chestnut-backed Sparrow-Lark is a drabber bird with heavily streaked buff-white underparts and head, and a white nape collar. The upperparts are chestnut with mottling. Young birds are like the female.

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      Last modified on 18 April 2013, at 14:56