Ashy-crowned Sparrow-lark
Encyclopedia
The Ashy-crowned Sparrow-Lark (Eremopterix griseus) also known as the Ashy-crowned Finch-lark or Black-bellied Finch-lark is a small sparrow sized member of the lark family. It is found in the plains in open land with bare ground, grass and scrub across South Asia
from the Indus valley of Pakistan in the west to Bangladesh and extending through peninsular India and extending into Sri Lanka
. The males are well marked with a contrasting black-and-white face pattern, while females are sandy brown, looking similar to a female sparrow. Males are easily detected during the breeding season by the long descending whistle that accompanies their undulating and dive-bombing flight displays.
which partly overlaps with the range of this species in the arid zone of India and Pakistan. The female is pale brown and very similar to a female House Sparrow
, although the legs are much shorter and appearing stockier and shorter-necked.
Although some subspecies ceylonensis (from Sri Lanka) and siccata (from Gujarat) have been named, variations are mostly clinal and they are treated as a monotypic species.
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This species is restricted to below 1000 metres elevation and is found south of the Himalayas to Sri Lanka extending to the Indus river system in the west and to Assam in the east. It is found in stubble, scrub, waste land, riverside sand and tidal flats on the coast. The avoid the interior of the desert zone, a habitat that is more likely to be used by the Black-crowned Sparrow-Lark. The two species overlap partly in range, although they are rarely seen together in the same locations. During the monsoon season, they withdraw from heavy rainfall regions.
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These larks are found in pairs or small groups and form larger flocks in winter. They forage on the ground for seeds and insects. When disturbed they will sometimes crouch and take to flight. They will take fallen grains in fields. They roost at night on the ground, making small depressions in the soil.
The breeding is irregular and spread out although they breed before the rains mainly during February to September in southern India and May to June in Sri Lanka. The display of the male consists of a song flight that involves soaring up with some chirruping calls and then diving with partly closed wings and then rising up in a glide. This undulating flight is accompanied by a long low whistle at each dive and at the tip of each rise by a sharp chilp note. The display ends with the male descending at an angle and landing on a small mound or clod before repeating the performance after a few minutes. The nest is a compact depression under a tuft of grass in the ground lined with grass and hair with some pebbles arranges on the edge. The usual clutch is 2 to 3 eggs and both males and female incubate the eggs. The eggs hatch after about 13 to 14 days and both parents take turns to feed the young although the female is more active.
In most birds, the right ovary is not fully developed; however, a study found 6 out of 150 specimens with traces of a right ovary although the oviduct was absent.
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South Asia
South Asia, also known as Southern Asia, is the southern region of the Asian continent, which comprises the sub-Himalayan countries and, for some authorities , also includes the adjoining countries to the west and the east...
from the Indus valley of Pakistan in the west to Bangladesh and extending through peninsular India and extending into Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
. The males are well marked with a contrasting black-and-white face pattern, while females are sandy brown, looking similar to a female sparrow. Males are easily detected during the breeding season by the long descending whistle that accompanies their undulating and dive-bombing flight displays.
Description
Sparrow sized with a finch-like bill and short legs, these birds are usually seen sitting on the ground, and although they will sometimes perch on wires they do not perch in trees or bushes. The male is sandy brown overall with a black belly, chin, lower lores and eye stripe. The top of the head is ashy (although the base of these crown feathers are dark) unlike the dark brown to black in the Black-crowned Sparrow-LarkBlack-crowned Sparrow-lark
The Black-crowned Sparrow-lark is a species of lark in the Alaudidae family.It is found in Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Chad, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, India, Iran, Iraq, Israel and Palestine, Jordan, Kuwait, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Somalia,...
which partly overlaps with the range of this species in the arid zone of India and Pakistan. The female is pale brown and very similar to a female 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...
, although the legs are much shorter and appearing stockier and shorter-necked.
Although some subspecies ceylonensis (from Sri Lanka) and siccata (from Gujarat) have been named, variations are mostly clinal and they are treated as a monotypic species.
Habitat and distribution
Behaviour and ecology
The breeding is irregular and spread out although they breed before the rains mainly during February to September in southern India and May to June in Sri Lanka. The display of the male consists of a song flight that involves soaring up with some chirruping calls and then diving with partly closed wings and then rising up in a glide. This undulating flight is accompanied by a long low whistle at each dive and at the tip of each rise by a sharp chilp note. The display ends with the male descending at an angle and landing on a small mound or clod before repeating the performance after a few minutes. The nest is a compact depression under a tuft of grass in the ground lined with grass and hair with some pebbles arranges on the edge. The usual clutch is 2 to 3 eggs and both males and female incubate the eggs. The eggs hatch after about 13 to 14 days and both parents take turns to feed the young although the female is more active.
In most birds, the right ovary is not fully developed; however, a study found 6 out of 150 specimens with traces of a right ovary although the oviduct was absent.
In culture
The name in some Hindi dialects for the bird is dabhak churi, which means crouching sparrow. In British India, it was shot for the table and considered as "ortolanOrtolan Bunting
The Ortolan, or Ortolan Bunting, Emberiza hortulana, is a bird in the bunting family Emberizidae, a passerine family now separated by most modern authors from the finches, Fringillidae...
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Other sources
- Shivanarayan,N (1978) Damage to Sorghum by Ashycrowned Finch-Lark. Newsletter for BirdwatchersNewsletter for BirdwatchersNewsletter for Birdwatchers is an Indian periodical of ornithology and birdwatching founded in 1960 by Zafar Futehally, who edited it until 2003. It was initially mimeographed and distributed to a small number of subscribers each month. The editorial board in its early years included Salim Ali,...
. 18(3):10. - Shukla,RN; Shrivastava,M (1985): Some observations on nests and nesting behavior of three birds. Comparative Physiol. Ecol. 10(2):77-78.