Scientific name: Mirafra fasciolata
The eastern clapper lark (Mirafra fasciolata) is a small passerine bird which breeds in southern Africa. It derives its name from the wing clapping which forms part of its display flight. This species and the Cape clapper lark were formerly considered conspecifc. Fry, Keith and Urban, in The Birds of Africa, regard this species and the Cape clapper lark as forming a superspecies with M. rufocinnamomea, the flappet lark, which is found further north. The eastern clapper lark is found in much of the drier parts of southern Africa in Zambia, Namibia, Botswana, Lesotho and South Africa.
The eastern clapper lark is a species of open grassland and savannah.
This lark is a 15-cm-long bird, with a brown crown, rich rufous underparts, and a strong bill. It has brown upperparts (greyer in the north of its range). The display commences with an ascending flight with wing flapping. It then parachutes down with trailing legs. Its call is an ascending pooooeeeee. The eastern clapper lark is a skulking species, difficult to find when not displaying. It is not gregarious, and individuals tend to be seen in dry habitats feeding on the ground on seeds and insects.
