Rufous Songlark
Encyclopedia
The Rufous Songlark is a species
of Old World warbler
endemic to Australia
.
, the Old World Warblers, a successful passerine family. It shares the genus Cincloramphus with the Brown Songlark
, another species endemic to Australia.
The Rufous Songlark was described by English ornithologist Tom Iredale
in 1911. The generic name Cincloramphus is derived from Greek
words cinclus/κιγκλος "wagtail" and ramphos/ραμφος "beak", while the specific epithet honours Gregory Mathews
.
As well as Rufous Songlark, other common name
s include Red-Rumped Songlark, Rufous Singing Lark, and Skylark.
songbird
with a pattern of streaks on its feather
s. Encyclopædia Britannica
describes this bird as "drab and vaguely lark
like". It has a dark line through its eye, a pale eyebrow and pale underparts, and a rufous upper tail and rump. A little larger than a house sparrow
, the male grows to about 19 cm in length and is larger than the female who reaches only about 16 cm.
This species is similar to the Brown Songlark
but males of that species are much larger than those of the Rufous Songlark. Brown Songlarks females also lack the rufous rump of the Rufous Songlark female.
The Rufous Songlark is common all over mainland Australia, but is rare on the island of Tasmania
. The overall range of the songlark is thought to be in the order of between 1,000,000 and 10,000,000 km2. C. mathewsi is most often found in New South Wales
, Queensland
, and Western Australia
. Each year the Rufous Songlark spends colder months in the north and migrates south in the summer to breed, and in this way it typically is only seen in the warmer months.
s and other small arthropod
s upon which it feeds. The bird can be found in grassland
s, gras
sy open woodland
s, agricultural areas, and mulga
that it favors as a habitat. Living in areas populated by humans, it sometimes ends up as road kill
.
Outside the breeding period these birds form small flocks
of up to two dozen individuals. In the breeding season the lively, unmistakable song of the male Rufous Songlark is heard almost continuously. He chirps and curves his back while going on slow, showy "display flights" between trees. The distinctive "twitchy tweedle" song of the Rufous Songlark has been included on CDs of "Favourite Australian Birdsong". Without help from the male, the female bird builds a deep nest
of grass sheltered amid grass or low vegetation. She also incubates
the eggs
and raises the fledgling
s herself.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of Old World warbler
Old World warbler
The "Old World Warblers" is the name used to describe a large group of birds formerly grouped together in the bird family Sylviidae. The family held over 400 species in over 70 genera, and were the source of much taxonomic confusion. Two families were split out initially, the cisticolas into...
endemic to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
Taxonomy
It is a species of MegaluridaeMegaluridae
Locustellidae is a newly recognized family of small insectivorous songbirds , formerly placed in the Old World warbler "wastebin" family. It contains the grass-warblers, grassbirds, and the Bradypterus "bush-warblers". These birds occur mainly in Eurasia, Africa, and the Australian region...
, the Old World Warblers, a successful passerine family. It shares the genus Cincloramphus with the Brown Songlark
Brown Songlark
The Brown Songlark , also Australian Songlark, is a small passerine bird found throughout much of Australia. A member of the Old World Warbler family, the species is notable for sexual size dimorphism, among the most pronounced in any bird...
, another species endemic to Australia.
The Rufous Songlark was described by English ornithologist Tom Iredale
Tom Iredale
Tom Iredale was an English-born ornithologist and malacologist who had a long association with Australia, where he lived for most of his life. He was an autodidact who never went to university and lacked formal training...
in 1911. The generic name Cincloramphus is derived from Greek
Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek is the stage of the Greek language in the periods spanning the times c. 9th–6th centuries BC, , c. 5th–4th centuries BC , and the c. 3rd century BC – 6th century AD of ancient Greece and the ancient world; being predated in the 2nd millennium BC by Mycenaean Greek...
words cinclus/κιγκλος "wagtail" and ramphos/ραμφος "beak", while the specific epithet honours Gregory Mathews
Gregory Mathews
Gregory Macalister Mathews CBE was an Australian amateur ornithologist.Mathews made his fortune in mining shares, and moved to England around 1900....
.
As well as Rufous Songlark, other common name
Common name
A common name of a taxon or organism is a name in general use within a community; it is often contrasted with the scientific name for the same organism...
s include Red-Rumped Songlark, Rufous Singing Lark, and Skylark.
Description
The Rufous Songlark is medium brown passerinePasserine
A passerine is a bird of the order Passeriformes, which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds or, less accurately, as songbirds, the passerines form one of the most diverse terrestrial vertebrate orders: with over 5,000 identified species, it has roughly...
songbird
Songbird
A songbird is a bird belonging to the suborder Passeri of the perching birds . Another name that is sometimes seen as scientific or vernacular name is Oscines, from Latin oscen, "a songbird"...
with a pattern of streaks on its feather
Feather
Feathers are one of the epidermal growths that form the distinctive outer covering, or plumage, on birds and some non-avian theropod dinosaurs. They are considered the most complex integumentary structures found in vertebrates, and indeed a premier example of a complex evolutionary novelty. They...
s. Encyclopædia Britannica
Encyclopædia Britannica
The Encyclopædia Britannica , published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., is a general knowledge English-language encyclopaedia that is available in print, as a DVD, and on the Internet. It is written and continuously updated by about 100 full-time editors and more than 4,000 expert...
describes this bird as "drab and vaguely lark
Lark
Larks are passerine birds of the family Alaudidae. All species occur in the Old World, and in northern and eastern Australia; only one, the Shore Lark, has spread to North America, where it is called the Horned Lark...
like". It has a dark line through its eye, a pale eyebrow and pale underparts, and a rufous upper tail and rump. A little larger than a house sparrow
House Sparrow
The House Sparrow is a bird of the sparrow family Passeridae, found in most parts of the world. One of about 25 species in the genus Passer, the House Sparrow occurs naturally in most of Europe, the Mediterranean region, and much of Asia...
, the male grows to about 19 cm in length and is larger than the female who reaches only about 16 cm.
This species is similar to the Brown Songlark
Brown Songlark
The Brown Songlark , also Australian Songlark, is a small passerine bird found throughout much of Australia. A member of the Old World Warbler family, the species is notable for sexual size dimorphism, among the most pronounced in any bird...
but males of that species are much larger than those of the Rufous Songlark. Brown Songlarks females also lack the rufous rump of the Rufous Songlark female.
Distribution and habitat
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
. The overall range of the songlark is thought to be in the order of between 1,000,000 and 10,000,000 km2. C. mathewsi is most often found in New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, and Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
. Each year the Rufous Songlark spends colder months in the north and migrates south in the summer to breed, and in this way it typically is only seen in the warmer months.
Behaviour
The Rufous Songlark hunts close to the ground for the insectInsect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
s and other small arthropod
Arthropod
An arthropod is an invertebrate animal having an exoskeleton , a segmented body, and jointed appendages. Arthropods are members of the phylum Arthropoda , and include the insects, arachnids, crustaceans, and others...
s upon which it feeds. The bird can be found in grassland
Grassland
Grasslands are areas where the vegetation is dominated by grasses and other herbaceous plants . However, sedge and rush families can also be found. Grasslands occur naturally on all continents except Antarctica...
s, gras
Gras
Gras is a commune in the Ardèche department in southern France.-Population:-References:*...
sy open woodland
Woodland
Ecologically, a woodland is a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade. Woodlands may support an understory of shrubs and herbaceous plants including grasses. Woodland may form a transition to shrubland under drier conditions or during early stages of...
s, agricultural areas, and mulga
Mulga
Acacia aneura, commonly known as Mulga or True Mulga, is a shrub or small tree native to arid outback Australia of areas such as the Western Australian Mulga shrublands.-Description:...
that it favors as a habitat. Living in areas populated by humans, it sometimes ends up as road kill
Road Kill
Road Kill is a pair of live albums released by Celtic rock band Seven Nations in 1998. According to the band, the discs were meant to portray the band's live act realistically, and to preserve "the intensity and energy that make our concerts so much fun both for us and our audiences." The band's...
.
Outside the breeding period these birds form small flocks
Flock (birds)
A flock is a group of birds conducting flocking behavior in flight, or while foraging. The term is akin to the herd amongst mammals. The benefits of aggregating in flocks are varied and flocks will form explicitly for specific purposes...
of up to two dozen individuals. In the breeding season the lively, unmistakable song of the male Rufous Songlark is heard almost continuously. He chirps and curves his back while going on slow, showy "display flights" between trees. The distinctive "twitchy tweedle" song of the Rufous Songlark has been included on CDs of "Favourite Australian Birdsong". Without help from the male, the female bird builds a deep nest
Nest
A nest is a place of refuge to hold an animal's eggs or provide a place to live or raise offspring. They are usually made of some organic material such as twigs, grass, and leaves; or may simply be a depression in the ground, or a hole in a tree, rock or building...
of grass sheltered amid grass or low vegetation. She also incubates
Avian incubation
Incubation refers to the process by which certain oviparous animals hatch their eggs, and to the development of the embryo within the egg. The most vital factor of incubation is the constant temperature required for its development over a specific period. Especially in domestic fowl, the act of...
the eggs
Egg (biology)
An egg is an organic vessel in which an embryo first begins to develop. In most birds, reptiles, insects, molluscs, fish, and monotremes, an egg is the zygote, resulting from fertilization of the ovum, which is expelled from the body and permitted to develop outside the body until the developing...
and raises the fledgling
Fledgling
Fledgling or Fledglings may refer to:* Curtiss Fledgling, a trainer aircraft* Fergie's Fledglings, a group of Manchester United players recruited under the management of Alex Ferguson...
s herself.
Video file
- BirdLife International 2004. Cincloramphus mathewsi. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 10 July 2007.