The pink-billed lark (Spizocorys conirostris) is a species of lark in the family Alaudidae found in southern Africa. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry lowland grassland. It is described as having a low breeding success rate.[2]

Pink-billed lark
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Alaudidae
Genus: Spizocorys
Species:
S. conirostris
Binomial name
Spizocorys conirostris
(Sundevall, 1850)
Subspecies

See text

Range
Synonyms
  • Alauda conirostris
  • Calandrella conirostris

Taxonomy and systematics

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The pink-billed lark was originally classified within the genus Alauda. Some authorities have placed the pink-billed lark in the genus Calandrella.[3]

Subspecies

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Six subspecies are recognized:[4]

  • Damara pink-billed lark (S. c. damarensis) - Roberts, 1922: Alternately named Kenya short-toed lark (a name also used by the Athi short-toed lark). Found in north-western Namibia
  • S. c. crypta - (Irwin, 1957): Found in north-eastern Botswana
  • S. c. makawai - (Traylor, 1962): Found in western Zambia
  • S. c. harti - (Benson, 1964): Found in south-western Zambia
  • S. c. barlowi - Roberts, 1942: Found in southern Namibia, southern Botswana and north-western South Africa
  • S. c. conirostris - (Sundevall, 1850): Found in south-eastern Botswana, northern, central and eastern South Africa

Vocalizations

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Twelve types of vocalizations have been recorded.[5]

  • Nestling begging call: nestlings hiss or peep when they see a parent flying toward the nest.
  • Nestling distress call: nestlings make a harsh pulsed call when in distress
  • Nestling feeding call: parents make a soft chi-chi-chi sound when feeding nestlings
  • Threat call: harsh and grating
  • Appeasement calls: either chattering or metallic, made by parents during incubation
  • Alarm call: pulsed, with a sharp rise then gradual fall in frequency. Mostly made while in flight.
  • Attack call: series of tsks, made while chasing other pink-billed larks
  • Cricket call: soft and rapid, often made while in flight
  • Foraging calls: soft, with mixed sounds
  • Flight call: high-pitched, possibly unique to each individual. Usually made while flying in flocks
  • Flight song: made by males when performing aerial display. Rapid and pulsed.
    • The bird stays silent while steeply ascending, then begins singing. It then flies irregularly while singing its flight song, which usually lasts less than a minute. It sometimes then descends sharply. [5]

References

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  1. ^ BirdLife International (2016). "Spizocorys conirostris". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T22717352A94528403. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22717352A94528403.en. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  2. ^ Engelbrecht, G. Derek; Masotla, Makhudu J. (2021-04-28). "Breeding ecology of the Quailfinch (Ortygospiza atricollis) in the Limpopo Province, South Africa". The Wilson Journal of Ornithology. 132 (3). doi:10.1676/19-27. ISSN 1559-4491.
  3. ^ "Spizocorys conirostris - Avibase". avibase.bsc-eoc.org. Retrieved 2016-12-04.
  4. ^ "IOC World Bird List 6.4". IOC World Bird List Datasets. doi:10.14344/ioc.ml.6.4.
  5. ^ a b Engelbrecht, Derek (2021-12-13). "Vocalizations and song flight of Pink-billed Lark Spizocorys conirostris". Afrotropical Bird Biology: Journal of the Natural History of African Birds. 1 (1). doi:10.15641/abb.v1i.1095. ISSN 2790-0592.
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