Wildlifeof India
Red-capped Lark
Larks, Pipits & Wagtails
Photo: (c) Cecile Roux, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · CC-BY-SA (May be cropped or resized)
Calandrella cinerea
Basic stats
Diet
Seeds and insects, foraged on bare ground or very short grass
Habitat
Highlands above about 1,000m in eastern Africa, down to sea level in the cooler south
Range
Highlands of eastern Africa southwards from Ethiopia and Somaliland
Size
14–15cm
The red-capped lark is a small lark 14–15 cm long with a typically upright stance. It is easily identified by its rufous cap, white underparts and red shoulders, with streaked grey to brown upperparts that vary among subspecies; the short head crest is normally noticeable only when raised in courtship displays, and the sexes are similar. It breeds in the highlands of eastern Africa southwards from Ethiopia and Somaliland (Wikipedia, general species account).
The call is a sparrow-like tshwerp and the display-flight song a jumble of whistles and short trills. It breeds all year but mainly September to December, the female building the nest in four to five days and lining it with fine grass and rootlets. The cached account does not describe any occurrence in India and the species is not in SoIB 2023, so its place on the Indian list should be checked (Wikipedia, general species account).
Quick answers
- What does the Red-capped Lark eat?
- Seeds and insects, foraged on bare ground or very short grass
- What habitat does the Red-capped Lark live in?
- Highlands above about 1,000m in eastern Africa, down to sea level in the cooler south
- Where is the Red-capped Lark found?
- Highlands of eastern Africa southwards from Ethiopia and Somaliland
- How big is the Red-capped Lark?
- 14–15cm