26 |
Brown SonglarkAlternative names: "Black-breasted Lark", "Harvest-bird", "Singing Lark*", "Skylark*" Size: 18-19 cm |
 |
Habitat |
(for details refer to a field guide) |
Brown Songlarks are endemic to Australia. They breed in the south-western corner and the south-east of the continent and migrate northwards in winter. Their breeding range in the south-west encompasses a rougly semi-circular area around Kalgoorlie, WA, with Perth on its north-western fringe. In the south-east the breeding range extends from about the south-eastern half of SA through VIC and NSW into southern QLD, up to about the geographic latitude of the SA/NT border. They are rarely found in the alpine region south of Canberra and along the south-eastern tip of the NSW/VIC coast between Sydney, NSW, and Lakes Entrance, VIC. They also rarely venture onto the coastal fringe of southern QLD and central QLD. Outside the breeding season their range encompasses the entire Australian continent, except the far north (Kimberleys beyond Eighty Mile Beach, top end of the NT and Cape York peninsula).
Brown Songlarks can be found in open grassland (also crops). The males will use fenceposts or bushes as demarcations of their territories, while the females nest somewhere in the open grassland.
 |
Sightings |
We first spotted a pair of birds on a fenceline in March 2008, on a trip through outback western NSW, that are most likely Brown Songlarks (photos below). Seen and identified without any doubt 50 km west of Burren Juction, NSW, in October 2010.
In December 2008 a male bird was seen 20 km south-east of Narrabri, first calling from a spot in the high grass of a paddock, later also in its characteristic display flight.
Seen at Goran Lake, an ephemeral lake about 30 km south of Gunnedah, NSW, in October 2011.
 |
Photos |
Distant frontal view of a male Brown Songlark
Distant dorsal view of a male bird
Lateral view of Brown Songlarks with the male on the
right and the much paler female on the left;
this photo was taken at the end of the breeding season
Dorsal view of the same two birds
Slightly different angle
Lateral view of a male singing in its display flight
Slightly different angle
This photo shows clearly the semi-translucent appearance of a male's wing feathers
 |
Behaviour |
| Social behaviour: Territorial | Mobility: Migratory | Elementary unit: Pair |
