Some notes on the Melodious Lark, Mirafra cheniana, with special reference to its vocalisations:

MELODIOUS LARK, SPOTLEWERIK, Mirafra cheniana, (492) 

Observers:

The observations discussed in this report were made by Faansie Peacock and Bernard Brönn in 1997. 

Study site:

The Melodious Larks we observed were in an area of sloping, grassy hills, covered in various grasses and other plants with Rooigras, Themeda triandra, dominating. According to various authoritative sources, Rooigras is the preferred grass type. The grassland was on a slight slope of a small hill. The slope was approximately 15 degrees. Various other grass species, other than Rooigras, grew on the hill, as well as low, widely scattered shrubs. Few large rocks were apparent, although many open, bare patches were present, where the larks landed after display flights. The soil was hard, light-coloured and rocky. Territories were maintained by singing males that were singing 100 m from each other, so one can calculate that territories could be about 2500 square m in extent, although it is likely that larger and smaller territories can be maintained. Factors that might influence the territory size are the number of females that occur, the abundance of food, suitable nesting areas, habitat type, rainfall, altitude etc. The study site is just south-east of Pretoria in South Africa. 

Population at study site:

Although no specific count has been done at the study site where we observed the Larks, we estimate
an approximate population of 10 - 50 pairs in the study site and adjacent fields. A population density of 1 singing male / 50 m occurs. Females are easily overlooked as they do not indulge in the distinctive display flights of the males.  

Description of characteristic display flight:

The display flight of male Melodious Larks is extremely distinctive and they can be heard calling from more than 100m. If one scans the air from where the sound is coming carefully, the bird can be located with not too much effort.

The display flight involves the following:
Firstly, the male rises to a height of 25 - 50m, or perhaps higher, and starts singing. The song sung by the male during the display flight includes the imitations of many other species of birds as well as its own call. (See vocalisations of the Melodious Lark for further information in this regard). The display flight continues for some time, in one case we observed 15 minutes. There are records of display flights lasting 25 minutes and more. The amount of energy the male spends during its display flights is tremendous, as the male continuously flaps its wings at a very high speed, almost giving the impression of a locust or bee. It puffs up its feathers which further seconds the impression of a bee.

When it is finished displaying or when it is mobbed by other species (See Interspecific relationships), it rapidly descends and drops into the grass, where it is hard to see. They sometimes fly low over the grass before dropping in, or chase other Melodious Larks over the grass. These other Larks might be females, or alternatively, neighbouring males. 

On occasion, it sings from the ground, an anthill or low shrub. 

Vocalisations of the Melodious Larks:

The Melodious Lark has a very extended repertoire including calls of many other birds, and to a lesser extent, other sounds. The latter includes the call of the Rock Hyrax or Dassie, Procavia capensis. It also has its own, unique calls and song.

During the display flight, especially during the initial first phase, it gives its own calls. These notes can be rendered as: "chu, chu, chu, teu, teu, teu, trrr...". It basically comprises sections of notes, varying in pitch, given is sequences of 2 or 3 notes, interspersed with occasional short trills. 

The imitation part of the song is much more extensive than the initial song, typical of the species,and varies greatly from individual to individual. Many Melodious Larks at the study site mimicked the Quail Finch, Ortygospiza atricollis, which seems to be the one species most often imitated at the study site. Individual birds can be recognised by the species they imitate. This is often a good clue as to their nomadic movements. For example, one bird imitated a Jacobin Cuckoo, Clamator jacobinus, and a Scalyfeathered Finch, Sporopipes squamifrons. These two species do not occur in the typical highveld grassland that the Melodious Lark is often found in. They do however, occur in and around grassy clearing in thornveld, where the Melodious Lark occasionally occurs. Other birds obviously come from areas near water, as they mimic waterbirds such as Fulvous Duck, Dendrocygna bicolor, Threebanded Plover, Charadrius tricollaris, and Blacksmith Plover, Vanellus armatus. Some of the birds mimicked by the Lark, have very specific habitat requirements, for example the Jameson’s Firefinch, Lagonostica rhodopareia, which inhabits dense undergrowth in exotic plantations or riverine bush. The species mimicked might be a reflection of the range of habitats the Melodious Lark can be found in, or found near.

It is interesting to note that the larks imitate other birds in "groups". Say for example it mimics bird 1, bird 2 and bird 3 in a group and bird 4, bird 5 and bird 6 in another group. These two groups can then be called group A and group B. It repeats these groups at intervals which seem irregular. Sometimes, it repeats one bird, for example bird 3, in various other groups. In most birds at the study site the call of the Quail Finch, Ortygospiza atricollis, was repeated most often. 

Below is a list of birds Bernard and I heard some 6 Melodious Lark males imitate at the study site: (Species with a * at the end, are species which were not identified 100% positively.)

Fulvous Duck, Denrdocygna bicolor
Helmeted Guineafowl, Numida meleagris
Common Quail, Coturnix coturnix
Threebanded Plover, Charadrius tricollaris
Crowned Plover, Vanellus coronatus
Blacksmith Plover, Vanellus armatus
Wattled Plover, Vanellus senegallus
Greenshank, Tringa nebularia
Jacobin Cuckoo, Clamator jacobinus*
Diederik Cuckoo, Chrysococcyx caprius
Little Swift, Apus affinis
European Bee-eater, Merops apiaster
Rufousnaped Lark, Mirafra africana
Spikeheeled Lark, Chersomanes albofasciata
Greater Striped Swallow, Hirundo cucullata
Lesser Striped Swallow, Hirundo abyssinica*
European Swallow, Hirundo rustica
Blackeyed Bulbul, Pycnonotus barbatus
Anteating Chat, Myrmecocichla formicivora
Desert Cisticola, Cisticola aridulus
Cloud Cisticola, Cisticola textrix
Rattling Cisticola, Cisticola chiniana
Levaillant’s Cisticola, Cisticola tinniens
Tawnyflanked Prinia, Prinia saubflava
Cape Wagtail, Motacilla capensis
Grassveld Pipit, Anthus cinnamomeus
Orangethroated Longclaw, Macronyx capenis
Indian Myna, Acridotheres tristis
Cape Sparrow, Passer melanurus
Greyheaded Sparrow, Passer diffusus
Masked Weaver, Ploceus velatus
Red Bishop, Euplectes orix
Jameson’s Firefinch, Lagonostica rhodopareia*
Scalyfeathered Finch, Sporopipes squamifrons
Quail Finch, Ortygospiza atricollis
Blackthroated Canary, Serinus atrogularis
Streakyheaded Canary, Serinus gularis
Pinkbilled Lark, Spizocorys conirostris
Redfaced Mousebird, Urocolius indicus
Redcapped Lark, Calandrella cinerea
Redheaded Finch, Amadina erythrocephala
Namaqua Sandgrouse, Pterocles namaqua
South African Cliff Swallow, Hirundo spilodera
Blackchested Prinia, Prinia flavicans
Redcollared Widow, Euplectes ardens
Whitebrowed Sparrow Weaver, Plocepasser mahali
Whitefaced Duck, Dendrocygna viduata
Stonechat, Saxicola torquata

It is known to imitate at least 57 species, although it is likely that it should mimic many more.

Consequences of display flight:

The display flight is performed by the male, probably for two reasons:

To advertise a territory:
Being a small, inconspicuous, terrestrial passerine, the Melodious Lark is very hard to detect on the ground, and even when perched on a low bush, it is still easily overlooked because of the cryptic colouring which should serve as camouflage when incubating/brooding, roosting and from aerial predators. Thus, to make it evident to neighbouring Melodious Larks in adjacent patches of grassland that it is currently inhabiting an area of grassland, it has to find some other method of territorial advertisement, other than purely visual advertisement. Like many other larks it concentrates on advertisement of a territory through audible methods. This it accomplishes through its display flights, which make it very apparent. Neighbouring Melodious Larks often respond to a singing male by also display flighting, and so one can estimate the territory size (See Study site). 

To maintain the pair bond / entice a female to choosing him as a mate:
As a group of Swedish scientists found by using DNA fingerprinting with Great Reed Warblers, Acrocephalus arunidnaceus, females are more attracted to males with larger song repertoires. The males with the largest repertoires apparently have the best genes. It is very likely that this might also be the case in the Melodious Lark. Females will thus be attracted to the most vocal males, and males with the largest repertoires. If a pair remains together the male’s display flight might strengthen the pair bond. In southern african larks, the male also feeds the chicks. 

Nomadism:

These larks are nomadic, especially during the non-breeding season. They breed in summer, when food is most abundant, and environmental conditions suite them the best. In winter, veldfires are very widespread, and certainly destroy much of the Melodious Lark’s habitat. Thus, in winter it is very likely that they do undergo certain movements, if conditions become unsuitable. They are most frequently recorded in summer, but this may be as a result of decreased vocalisations in the non-breeding season, namely winter. Evidence of this nomadic movements at the study site, was of a bird imitating two bushveld birds ( See Vocalisations of Melodious Lark ). This bird might have picked these calls up during the non-breeding season in the bushveld, or it could have bred in the bushveld for a few seasons.

Interspecific relationships:

At the study site, Melodious Lark co-occurred with Rufousnaped Lark, Grassveld Pipit, Cloud Cisticola, Desert Cisticola and some other grassland species.

While performing its display flights, it was frequently mobbed by Swallows and Swifts, and most often by European Swallows, Hirundo rustica. This raises the question of the Swallows and Swifts reacting to their mimicked calls.

They occasionally chase conspecifics over their grassland habitat, before dropping into the grass. During these flights they very much resemble Sharpbilled Honeyguides, Prodotiscus regulus, with their white outer tail feathers.

Recognition of the Melodious Lark:

The Melodious Lark poses no problems regarding identification while it is display flighting, although care must be taken not to mistake it with the species it is imitating, for example the Quail Finch, Ortygospiza atricollis. Some other larks also indulge in display flights, but the small size and white outer tail feathers, characteristic call, and fluttering wings of the Melodious Lark is characteristic.

On the ground it is hard to see, and not as easy as other larks to flush. After being flushed it flies for quite a while, sometimes in a wide circle, sometimes "mock-dropping" into the grass. When flushed the white outer tail feathers are distinctive, as is the marked upperparts.

When seen from below in flight, or when perched, the white throat, breast markings and buffy belly and flanks are distinctive.

Food:

Melodious Larks’ diet is comprised primarily of seeds and insects such as ants and termites. When termites emerge from their nests en masse after rains, Melodious Larks probably take advantage of the situation either by hawking the insects in mid-air, or pecking them up on the ground. The availability of food probably reflects the abundance of Melodious Larks in a specific area.

General notes:

During our observations on the Melodious Lark, we take care not to disturb or pressurise the birds in any way that might affect them negatively. This includes not trampling their habitat, disturbing them at nests, using tape recordings to such an effect as to disturb the birds, etc. These basic precautions are of great importance when observing any bird, and should strictly be practised.

References:

Nesting Birds - Peter Steyn
Newman’s Birds of Southern Africa - Kenneth Newman
Sasol Birds of Southern Africa - Ian Sinclair, Phil Hockey and Warwick Tarboton
Roberts’ Birds of Southern Africa - Gordon Lindsay Maclean
Atlas of Southern African Birds - Various authors
Africa Birds and Birding - Eva Plaganyi
Chris and Tilde Stuart’s Field Guide to the mammals of Southern Africa - Chris and Tilde Stuart. 

Acknowledgements:

We would like to express our gratitude towards the following individuals for their help regarding the observations we made on the Melodious Larks:

Mostert Kriek, Etienne Marais and Peter Irons. 

Comments:

Author’s contact address:

I would greatly appreciate any comments on my observations, and if you have made any interesting findings, please contact me at: Mr. Faansie Peacock, Box 39910, Moreleta Park, 0044, Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa

Tel: +27 (012) 9971409 Fax: +27 (012) 9970034

eMail: "Faansie Peacock" <peacock@smartnet.co.za>

Faansie Peacock, 1997