Australian songlark
The brown songlark (Cincloramphus cruralis ), also Australian songlark, is a small passerine bird found throughout much of Australia. A member of the family Locustellidae, this species is notable for sexual size dimorphism, among the most pronounced in any bird. It is a moderate-sized bird of nondescript plumage; the female brownish above and paler below, the larger male a darker brown.
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
Oviparous animals are female animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive...
Nomadic animals regularly move to and from the same areas within a well-defined range. Most animals travel in groups in search of better territorie...
Polygyny is a mating system in which one male lives and mates with multiple females but each female only mates with a single male.
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MigratingAnimal migration is the relatively long-distance movement of individual animals, usually on a seasonal basis. It is the most common form of migrati...
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starts withMale brown songlarks are 23–25 cm long versus 18–19 cm for females, and may weigh 2.3 times as much. The average weight of males was listed as 74.8 g (2.64 oz) and that of females is 32.4 g (1.14 oz). They are probably the most sexually dimorphic passerine in the world in size difference and well as likely the largest species in the family Locustellidae. In general, the birds have a dusky pale- streaked with darker brown plumage with and pale eyebrows. The underparts are brownish-white in the female, darker brown in the male. Breeding males may display a cinnamon-colour. Its eyes and bill are black, and legs grey. Juveniles are smaller and paler with pinkish-brown bills. The call has been described as loud and creaky. The male is the principal singer, calling from perches or when rising above breeding territory.
The bird is found throughout all of Australia, except parts of the far north, and not in Tasmania. There are particularly dense populations in the southern parts of the country. It prefers open pastures and grassy scrub, and feeds on seeds and insects. The species is highly nomadic. Local numbers fluctuate depending on rainfall and the bird will often flee from drought affected areas.
The brown songlark has a large range, between 1,000,000 and 10,000,000 kilometers²; while population size has not been quantified the bird is reported to be common. The IUCN thus lists it as a species of "least concern" and it is considered "secure" by Australian authorities.
Nesting occurs from August to December. The nest itself is a deep cup of herbaceous material well concealed in shrubbery or tall grass. There is generally one clutch per breeding season, consisting of 2 to 5 pale pink eggs with reddish brown spots and flecks 23 mm x 17 mm in size. Females provide most of the parenting. Foxes and snakes prey upon nests.
