Horsfield's Bush Lark
A species of Bush Larks and Allies, Also known as Australasian Bushlark Scientific name : Mirafra javanica Genus : Bush Larks and Allies
Horsfield's Bush Lark, A species of Bush Larks and Allies
Also known as:
Australasian Bushlark
Botanical name: Mirafra javanica
Genus: Bush Larks and Allies
Content
Description General Info
Photo By Nikolaj Mølgaard Thomsen
Description
Horsfield's bush lark is a small, thickset bird with a large head, a short, sparrow-like bill and a small crest which is only visible when raised. Its dorsal plumage colour is brown, reddish or sandy with darker central streaks to the feathers. The breast is mottled or streaked and it has a buff eyebrow. The underparts are pale, with a brown tail. The adult upper parts and crown are near black with coarse buff to russet streaking. Juveniles are similar but the crown and upper parts are neatly scaled by narrow white fringes to the feathers. Nestlings have dense natal down and contrasting dark spots on their tongue and mouth. The average lengths for the wing are 61–81 mm, tail 40–56 mm, bill 12–16 mm and weight 18-25 grams. The wings are short and rounded with a distinctive rufous panel. The innermost secondary feather is vestigial and of the ten primary feathers, p10 is very short but not vestigial. The primaries moult outward starting at p1 while the tail and body moult during the early stages of, or just before the start of the moult of the primaries.
Size
15 cm
Nest Placement
Ground
Feeding Habits
Horsfield's Bush Lark are omnivorous, consuming grass seeds and insects, particularly during breeding. Horsfield's Bush Lark forage on or near the ground, often alone or in small groups, using their stout bill to glean and probe for food.
Habitat
Horsfield's Bush Lark typically inhabits open and varied landscapes, preferring areas such as grasslands with intermittent bushes and trees, open savannas, agricultural terrains with appropriate cover, and fallow or stubble fields. These birds thrive in regions where vegetation is not too dense, allowing for ease of movement and foraging on the ground.
Dite type
Insectivorous
General Info
Feeding Habits
Bird food type
Distribution Area
The range of Horsfield's bush lark is very broad, with an estimated global extent of occurrence of 10,000,000 km. In Australia, the bush lark occurs from the Eyre Peninsula, South Australia, through Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, Northern Territory and Western Australia to Shark Bay. This species is a summer migrant to south-eastern continental Australia and vagrant to the island of Tasmania. In Australia they inhabit chenopod shrublands, native and exotic grasslands in temperate and tropical areas, coastal heathlands, dunes, mudflats and also modified open habitats such as crop and pastureland. They are found less commonly on playing fields, golf courses, road verges, salt marshes and other shrublands or heathland and rarely in treed habitats.
Photo By Nikolaj Mølgaard Thomsen
Scientific Classification
Phylum
Chordates Class
Birds Order
Perching birds Family
Larks Genus
Bush Larks and Allies Species
Horsfield's Bush Lark