The Indian bush lark (''Mirafra erythroptera'') is a species of
lark in the family
Alaudidae found in South Asia.
Taxonomy and systematics
The alternate names "red-winged lark" and "red-winged bush lark" are more commonly used to describe the
red-winged lark (''M. hypermetra'').
Other alternate names of the Indian bush lark are Indian lark, Indian red-winged lark, red-winged singing bushlark and rusty-winged lark.
Description
It is distinguished from
Jerdon's bush lark
Jerdon's bush lark (''Mirafra affinis'') or Jerdon's lark is a species of lark in the family Alaudidae found in south Asia. This was formerly considered as a subspecies of '' Mirafra assamica'' and termed as the Madras bushlark. Two other speci ...
by its shorter bill and legs and longer tail.
The plumage of the Indian bush lark is pale and it has a cheek patch completely bounded by a white
supercilium
The supercilium is a plumage feature found on the heads of some bird species. It is a stripe which runs from the base of the bird's beak above its eye, finishing somewhere towards the rear of the bird's head.Dunn and Alderfer (2006), p. 10 Also ...
and post-auricular border. The crown and upper-parts are heavily streaked. The pale underparts have large spots on the breast. Most of its wing coverts, tertials and central tail feathers have pale centres. The primary coverts look all brown. The rufous wing bars are diagnostic but care must be taken not to confuse the bird with Jerdon's bush lark in the central
Western Ghats and country around where their ranges overlap. Jerdon's bush lark is darker with more rufous on the wings.
It sings from bush tops but does not usually perch on trees or wires. The calls are similar to that of Jerdon's bush lark but are lower and have longer rattling tremolos often falling in pitch.
Distribution and habitat
The Indian bush lark is most commonly found in arid areas. It is found in Pakistan and north-western, central and south-central India.
Behaviour and ecology
The song-flight during the mating season is an amazing spectacle. The bird flutters high over the ground, then holds its wings in an open "V" and "parachutes" down to its perch uttering its song consisting of short ''tweets'' and ''cheeps'' in three syllables followed by a longer fourth syllable. This combination is repeated till the bird perches again.
Gallery
File:Indian Bushlark (Mirafra erythroptera).JPG, Indian bushlark (''Mirafra erythroptera'')
File:Indian Bushlark at Rajkot.jpg, Indian bushlark at Rajkot
Rajkot () is the fourth-largest city in the Indian state of Gujarat after Ahmedabad, Vadodara, and Surat, and is in the centre of the Saurashtra region of Gujarat. Rajkot is the 35th-largest metropolitan area in India, with a population of ...
References
*
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2734306
Mirafra
Birds of Pakistan
Birds of India
Birds described in 1845
Taxa named by Edward Blyth