Rufous Songlark

About the Rufous Songlark

The rufous songlark (Cincloramphus mathewsi) is a species in the family Locustellidae endemic to Australia. It is a species of Locustellidae, which includes the grass warblers and grassbirds. The rufous songlark was described by English ornithologist Tom Iredale in 1911. An alternative generic name Cincloramphus is derived from Greek words cinclus/κιγκλος "wagtail" and ramphos/ραμφος "beak", while the specific epithet honours Gregory Mathews.

As well as rufous songlark, other common names include red-rumped songlark, rufous singing lark, and skylark. The rufous songlark is a medium brown passerine songbird with a pattern of streaks on its feathers. Encyclopædia Britannica describes this bird as "drab and vaguely larklike". It has a dark line through its eye, a pale eyebrow and pale underparts, and a rufous upper tail and rump. A little larger than a house sparrow, the male grows to about 19 cm (7.5 in) in length and is larger than the female which reaches only about 16 cm (6.3 in).

This species is similar to the brown songlark but males of that species are much larger than those of the rufous songlark. Brown songlark females also lack the rufous rump... Wikipedia →