Newsletter / Blog
2012-05-17 Endemic Short-clawed Lark – Polokwane Game Reserve.
Short-clawed
Lark
The Short-clawed
Lark - Certhilauda chuana - is endemic to Southern Africa, occurring from
south-eastern Botswana to
the North-west Province, Free State and Limpopo Province.
It prefers open habitat, sparsely vegetated with short grass and scattered
trees or bushes, particularly where grass has been severely grazed.
Description
The head is cream
while the bill is black. It has a white throat, brown legs and a brown coloured
back. The eyes are brown. The long, broad, creamy eyebrow is conspicuous. It
has buff-fringed feathers on its back with broad blackish centres.
Call
The call is a
loud descending peeeeuuuu.
Food
Food consists of
insects, mainly termites and ants.
Breeding
The nest is built
solely by the female, consisting of open cup built of grass and lined with
finer plant material. It is typically placed in a scrape in the ground beneath
a grass tuft or small shrub. The egg-laying season is between September and
March, with 2 to 3 eggs in a clutch.
They are incubated by the female for between 14 to 16 days. They are fed by
both parents, leaving the nest after about 11 to 12 days. They remain dependent
on their parents for food up to about 4 weeks of age, only dispersing about
another 4-12 weeks later.
Conservation Status – Least Concern
It has two
disjunct populations. The one on the Pietersburg Plateau in the Limpopo Province,South Africa, and a larger
population in south-eastern Botswana
and the North-west Province, South Africa. The South African population numbers
500 to 5,000 individuals, and there may be over 20,000 pairs in Botswana. The
species currently appears to be stable.
Birdwatching
Ask Aves Birding Tours/Safaris/Adventures
to create an Aves custom tour for
you or book on one of the following scheduled Aves Birding Tours/Safaris/Adventures: -
Aves North East
Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.
Aves North West Birding Tour
/ Safari /Adventure.
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