Botha's Lark
Spizocorys fringillaris
The Botha's Lark (Spizocorys fringillaris) is a legendary lark found only in South Africa, weighing about 19 g. Botha's lark is a species of lark in the family Alaudidae that is endemic to South Africa.
About the Botha's Lark
Botha's lark is a species of lark in the family Alaudidae that is endemic to South Africa. It is considered to be South Africa's most endangered bird species with approximately 340 mature individuals left in the wild. Over the last decade, there has been a 90% population decline resulting in the species regionally being uplisted to Critically Endangered in the 2025 Regional Red Data Book of Birds of South Africa, Lesotho and Eswatini.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
This is a small, compact lark, exhibiting a boldly marked face with a pinkish, conical bill. It has grey-brown upperparts, contrasting with pale underparts and a streaked, buffy chest. This lark also exhibits spread out streaking on its flanks, which helps differentiate it from the similar pink-billed lark (Spizocorys conirostris) which has plain, white flanks. Its call is short and simple and can be given in flight or whilst on the ground.
Where it lives
When to see it
Best months: January, February, March, April, August, September, October, November, December, with peak activity in December. It is a variable species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Botha's Lark?
- This is a small, compact lark, exhibiting a boldly marked face with a pinkish, conical bill. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Botha's Lark?
- The Botha's Lark is a small sized bird weighing about 19 g.
- Where can you see a Botha's Lark?
- The Botha's Lark is endemic to South Africa, which is the only country where it occurs.
- What birds look similar to a Botha's Lark?
- The Botha's Lark is most easily confused with the Masked Lark, the Sclater's Lark and the Stark's Lark.
- Is the Botha's Lark endangered?
- The Botha's Lark is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Botha's Lark for real
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