Archer's lark (''Heteromirafra archeri''), also known as the Liben lark, is a species of

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 ...

in 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 occ ...

. It is found in

Somalia Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constituti ...

Somaliland Somaliland,; ar, صوماليلاند ', ' officially the Republic of Somaliland,, ar, جمهورية صوماليلاند, link=no ''Jumhūrīyat Ṣūmālīlānd'' is a ''de facto'' sovereign state in the Horn of Africa, still conside ...

and

Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...

. Its natural

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

s are

subtropical The subtropical zones or subtropics are geographical zone, geographical and Köppen climate classification, climate zones to the Northern Hemisphere, north and Southern Hemisphere, south of the tropics. Geographically part of the Geographical z ...

tropical The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the Equator. They are defined in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere at N and the Tropic of Capricorn in the Southern Hemisphere at S. The tropics are also referred to ...

dry

shrubland Shrubland, scrubland, scrub, brush, or bush is a plant community characterized by vegetation dominated by shrubs, often also including grasses, herbs, and geophytes. Shrubland may either occur naturally or be the result of human activity. It m ...

and subtropical or tropical dry lowland

grassland A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominated by grasses (Poaceae). However, sedge (Cyperaceae) and rush (Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes, like clover, and other herbs. Grasslands occur natur ...

. It is threatened by

habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...

. The bird's common name and

binomial Binomial may refer to: In mathematics *Binomial (polynomial), a polynomial with two terms * Binomial coefficient, numbers appearing in the expansions of powers of binomials *Binomial QMF, a perfect-reconstruction orthogonal wavelet decomposition ...

commemorate the British explorer and colonial official Sir

Geoffrey Francis Archer Sir Geoffrey Francis Archer (4 July 1882 – 1 May 1964) was an English ornithologist, big game hunter and colonial official. He was Commissioner and then Governor of British Somaliland between 1913 and 1922, and was responsible for fin ...

Taxonomy and systematics

Formerly, the Liben lark has been considered by some authorities as belonging to the genus ''

Mirafra ''Mirafra'' is a genus of lark in the family Alaudidae. Some ''Mirafra'' species are called "larks", while others are called "bush larks". They are found from Africa through South Asia to Australia. Taxonomy and systematics The phylogeny of lark ...

''. The Sidamo lark was previously considered as a separate species (as ''H. sidamoensis'') and by some authorities as a subspecies of Liben lark (as ''H. a. sidamoensis''), but since 2014 has been considered conspecific with the Liben lark. Note that the alternate names "long-clawed lark" and "Sidamo lark" are also used as alternate names by Rudd's lark and

Degodi lark The Degodi lark (''Mirafra gilletti degodiensis'') is a lark in the family Alaudidae endemic to Ethiopia. It is now considered a subspecies of Gillett's lark. Taxonomy and systematics Formerly, the Degodi lark was considered to be a separate s ...

respectively. Some authorities have also considered Archer's lark to be a subspecies of Rudd's lark. The alternate name "Somali lark" is more commonly used by the species of the same name, '' Mirafra somalica'', but also as an alternate name for

Sharpe's lark Sharpe's lark (''Mirafra sharpii'') is a species of lark in the family Alaudidae found in Somalia Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic of Somal ...

. Other alternate names for the Liben lark include Archer's long-clawed lark, Ethiopian long-clawed lark, Sidamo bushlark, Sidamo long-clawed lark and Somali long-clawed lark.

Description

The Liben lark is about long, with a relatively large head and short, plump body. It has buff underparts with a streaky breast. Its plumage is predominantly brown and reddish brown. It has a short, thin tail which is brown with white outer feathers. The call is unknown.

Behaviour

The birds are largely terrestrial and their behaviour is cryptic. Though quite capable of flight, they often prefer to conceal themselves in vegetation.Butchart, Stuart
"Birds to Find: A Review of ‘lost’, Obscure and Poorly Known African Bird Species."
Bull ABC, 2007. Web. 22 Oct. 2012.

Breeding

Nests have been found in summer. Clutch-size is three.

Feeding

Its diet is likely to consist of seeds and small invertebrates, including worms.

Distribution and habitat

The bird's preferred habitat is open

grasslands A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominated by grasses (Poaceae). However, sedge (Cyperaceae) and rush (Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes, like clover, and other herbs. Grasslands occur natural ...

and rocky country, vegetated with tussocky perennial grasses and having an annual rainfall of . The total area in which Liben lark can be found is estimated to be only , largely in Ethiopia. The birds have not been recorded from the

Wajaale Tog Wajaale (also known as Wajaale) is a city on the border of Somaliland and Ethiopia. Tog Wajaale is the main border crossing for goods coming in and out of Somaliland, primarily from the port city of Berbera, Somaliland's main port. Demogra ...

clay plains on the border of Ethiopia and Somaliland since 1922. Due to habitat loss, Archer's lark has not been found in Somalia, since at least 1970."Archer's Lark." Species2011S. Web. 25 Oct. 2012.

Status and conservation

The population is estimated to number 50–250 mature individuals, based on a lack of confirmed sightings despite several searches having been conducted since 1955 in Somalia and Ethiopia.Paul F. Donald, Graeme M. Buchanan, Nigel J. Collar, Yilma Dellelegn Abebe, Merid N. Gabremichael, M. A. Kiragu Mwangi, Paul Kariuki Ndang'ang'a, Claire N. Spottiswoode and Mengistu Wondafrash (2010). Rapid declines in habitat quality and population size of the Liben (Sidamo) Lark ''Heteromirafra sidamoensis'' necessitate immediate conservation action. Bird Conservation International, 20, pp 112 One of the last possible sightings of the bird was in Ethiopia in 2003. The species was declared critically endangered in 2005 and a conversation program to restore and protect grasslands has been initiated. In 2011, David Hoddinott and his

bird watching Birdwatching, or birding, is the observing of birds, either as a recreational activity or as a form of citizen science. A birdwatcher may observe by using their naked eye, by using a visual enhancement device like binoculars or a telescope, by ...

group had a sighting of a bird that may have been a Liben lark in north-eastern Ethiopia. They were able to get a photograph which is being studied to confirm the observation.Rock Jumping Team
"Rockjumper - Worldwide Birding Adventures: Significant Ethiopian Discovery - Heteromirafra Larks by David Hoddinott"
16 May 2011. Retrieved 25 Oct. 2012.

Threats

Since 1922 much former habitat in Somaliland has been occupied by refugees and turned into farmland. Grassland is being degraded by the invasive plant ''

Parthenium hysterophorus ''Parthenium hysterophorus'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. It is native to the American tropics. Common names include Santa-Maria, Santa Maria feverfew, whitetop weed, and famine weed.McConnachie AJ, Strathie LW, et ...

''. Apart from habitat loss to agriculture, pastoralism and invasive weeds, threats include wildfire, severe weather events and climate change.

References

External links

Species factsheet
- BirdLife International {{Taxonbar, from=Q167833

Archer's lark Archer's lark (''Heteromirafra archeri''), also known as the Liben lark, is a species of lark in the family Alaudidae. It is found in Somalia, Somaliland and Ethiopia. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry shrubland and subtrop ...

Birds of the Horn of Africa

Taxonomy articles created by Polbot