Pink-billed lark

The pink-billed lark (Spizocorys conirostris) is a species of lark in the family Alaudidae found in southern Africa. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry lowland grassland. It is described as having a low breeding success rate.

Taxonomy and systematics
The pink-billed lark was originally classified within the genus Alauda. Some authorities have placed the pink-billed lark in the genus Calandrella.

Subspecies
Six subspecies are recognized:
 * Damara pink-billed lark (S. c. damarensis) - Roberts, 1922 : Alternately named Kenya short-toed lark (a name also used by the Athi short-toed lark). Found in north-western Namibia
 * S. c. crypta - (Irwin, 1957) : Found in north-eastern Botswana
 * S. c. makawai - (Traylor, 1962) : Found in western Zambia
 * S. c. harti - (Benson, 1964) : Found in south-western Zambia
 * S. c. barlowi - Roberts, 1942 : Found in southern Namibia, southern Botswana and north-western South Africa
 * S. c. conirostris - (Sundevall, 1850) : Found in south-eastern Botswana, northern, central and eastern South Africa

Vocalizations
Twelve types of vocalizations have been recorded.


 * Nestling begging call: nestlings hiss or peep when they see a parent flying toward the nest.
 * Nestling distress call: nestlings make a harsh pulsed call when in distress
 * Nestling feeding call: parents make a soft chi-chi-chi sound when feeding nestlings
 * Threat call: harsh and grating
 * Appeasement calls: either chattering or metallic, made by parents during incubation
 * Alarm call: pulsed, with a sharp rise then gradual fall in frequency. Mostly made while in flight.
 * Attack call: series of tsks, made while chasing other pink-billed larks
 * Cricket call: soft and rapid, often made while in flight
 * Foraging calls: soft, with mixed sounds
 * Flight call: high-pitched, possibly unique to each individual. Usually made while flying in flocks
 * Flight song: made by males when performing aerial display. Rapid and pulsed.
 * The bird stays silent while steeply ascending, then begins singing. It then flies irregularly while singing its flight song, which usually lasts less than a minute. It sometimes then descends sharply.