28-12-2023 NJAU, GAMBIA - CHESTNUT BACKED SPARROW LARK (MALE)

The chestnut-backed sparrow-lark (Eremopterix leucotis) is a passerine bird which is a resident breeder in Africa south of the Sahara Desert.

The chestnut-backed sparrow-lark was originally placed in the genus Loxia. It was later moved to the Lark family Alaudidae under the genus Eremopterix which includes all other sparrow-lark species. Alternate names for this species include: chestnut-backed finch-lark and white-cheeked sparrow-lark.

This lark is a bird of open dry habitats such as open grassland and arid savanna, preferring recently burned turf, open fields, and gravel plains. They shuffle along in bare patches foraging for seeds and insects. They are both resident and nomadic, although movements are poorly understood. It is often found in mixed flocks with Chestnut-headed Sparrow-Lark where their ranges overlap in NE Africa.

It nests on the ground and lays one egg. Its food is insects and seeds.