Habits
Singly or in twos during the breeding season. Occasionally in small groups of up to six.
Food
Seeds and insects. Sometimes seeds.
Voice
Loud, clear, the pattern of notes being jerky and erratic. The notes are often abrupt, varying from hard, metallic noises and buzzing sounds to clear and musical notes. Sometimes sounds similar to a squeaking metal cartwheel turning slowly on a rusty axle. A 'skit-scot-a-wheeler'.
Brown Songlark (Cincloramphus cruralis) [XC754723]
by Mark Harper from Robertstown, The Regional Council of Goyder, South Australia, Australia (flight call)
Brown Songlark (Cincloramphus cruralis) [XC670647]
by Marc Anderson from Sturt National Park (near Tibooburra), New South Wales, Australia (song)
Nest
Cup-shaped, composed of dried grasses and softer materials, in a depression in the ground, usually near a tuft of grass or a low shrub.
Eggs (Guide)
3 or 4; pale pink, covered with numerous freckles of red-brown, particular at the larger end; long-oval; about 23 x 17 mm. Incubation: about 11 - 13 days; by female.
Young
Altricial, nidicolous. Fledge in about 9 - 14 days. Fledglings mostly fed by female.
Subspecies
No subspecies.
Striking morphological differences from Rufous Songlark (Cincloramphus mathewsi) suggest that the two species may not be closely related and should perhaps be placed in separate genera.
The Field Guide to the Birds of Australia Pizzey, G., and Knight, E., 1997, Angus & Robertson, Sydney ISBN 0 207 19691 5
Field Guide to Australian Birds Morecombe, M., 2000, Steve Parish Publishing Pty Ltd. ISBN 1 876282 10 X
Field Guide to the Birds of Australia Simpson, K., and Day, N., 1999, 6th Edition, Viking ISBN 0 670 87918 5
Reader's Digest Complete Book of Australian Birds 1988, 2nd Edition, Reader's Digest ISBN 0 949819 99 9
What Bird is That? 1984, Revised Edition, Angus & Robertson, Sydney ISBN 0 207 14846 5
Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds 1990 - , Oxford University Press, Melbourne ISBN 0 19 553244 9
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BirdLife International Species Factsheet