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Temminck's lark (''Eremophila bilopha'') or Temminck's horned lark, is a
bird
Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweigh ...
species of the family
Alaudidae
Larks are passerine birds of the family Alaudidae. Larks have a cosmopolitan distribution with the largest number of species occurring in Africa. Only a single species, the horned lark, occurs in North America, and only Horsfield's bush lark occu ...
. It breeds across much of north Africa, through northern Saudi Arabia to western Iraq. It is mainly resident, but some populations of this
passerine
A passerine () is any bird of the order Passeriformes (; from Latin 'sparrow' and '-shaped'), which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds, passerines are distinguished from other orders of birds by t ...
bird
Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweigh ...
are partially
migratory, moving further south in winter. This bird's common name commemorates the Dutch naturalist
Coenraad Jacob Temminck
Coenraad Jacob Temminck (; 31 March 1778 – 30 January 1858) was a Dutch people, Dutch Aristocracy (class), aristocrat, Zoology, zoologist and museum director.
Biography
Coenraad Jacob Temminck was born on 31 March 1778 in Amsterdam in the Dut ...
.
The population is declining in Israel and may also be declining elsewhere, probably as a result of habitat loss. Nevertheless, this is a common bird in many parts of its wide range and the
International Union for Conservation of Nature
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...
has rated its conservation status as being of "
least concern
A least-concern species is a species that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as evaluated as not being a focus of species conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wild. T ...
".
Taxonomy and systematics
Temminck's lark was originally placed in the genus ''
Alauda
''Alauda'' is a genus of larks found across much of Europe, Asia and in the mountains of north Africa, and one of the species (the Raso lark) endemic to the islet of Raso in the Cape Verde Islands. Further, at least two additional species are ...
'' before being re-classified to ''Eremophila''.
Description
Unlike most other larks, Temminck's lark is a distinctive looking species on the ground, similar to the other, larger, member of its genus, the
horned lark
The horned lark or shore lark (''Eremophila alpestris'') is a species of lark in the family Alaudidae found across the northern hemisphere. It is known as "horned lark" in North America and "shore lark" in Europe.
Taxonomy, evolution and systema ...
. The adult is mainly reddish brown-grey above and pale below, and it has a striking black and white face pattern and a distinctive black patch on its breast. The summer male has black "horns", which give this species its alternative name. The juvenile of this species is reddish above and pale below, quite unlike the juvenile horned lark. The adult Temminck's lark differs from the horned lark in its reddish, rather than brown-grey
plumage
Plumage ( "feather") is a layer of feathers that covers a bird and the pattern, colour, and arrangement of those feathers. The pattern and colours of plumage differ between species and subspecies and may vary with age classes. Within species, ...
, and the lack of yellow in the face pattern. It has a similar but less harsh metallic call.
Distribution and habitat
Temminck's lark is native to North Africa and the Middle East. Its range includes Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia and Western Sahara.
This
lark
Larks are passerine birds of the family Alaudidae. Larks have a cosmopolitan distribution with the largest number of species occurring in Africa. Only a single species, the horned lark, occurs in North America, and only Horsfield's bush lark occu ...
is a bird of open stony semi-desert. Its nest is on the ground, with two to four
eggs
Humans and human ancestors have scavenged and eaten animal eggs for millions of years. Humans in Southeast Asia had domesticated chickens and harvested their eggs for food by 1,500 BCE. The most widely consumed eggs are those of fowl, especial ...
being laid. Its food is seeds supplemented with insects in the breeding season.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1193299
Temminck's lark
Birds of North Africa
Birds of Western Asia
Temminck's lark