Aspects of the breeding ecology and behaviors of the Bar-tailed Lark (Ammomanes cinctura) from Ha'il region in north of Saudi Arabia

Abstract

The Bar-tailed Lark (Ammomanes cinctura) breeds in desert and semi-desert areas of the Saharo-Sindian region, from north-west Africa through the arid plains of the Arabian Peninsula to the Sind. Despite having a wide distribution, little information is available on the breeding ecology of this species. This study was conducted in a desert in the north of Saudi Arabia, where the daytime ambient temperature may exceed 40 °C. In contrast, the night ambient temperature may reach less than 10 °C in late spring and early summer. The objectives of this study were to collect some baseline data on some aspects of the breeding ecology of this species and to record the nest attendance behavior. The study found that Bar-tailed Larks preferred to nest under shrub trunks, which may camouflage both nests and incubating parents against predators and protect eggs, nestlings and incubating parents from hostile weather conditions. Moreover, nest attendance was high, as Bar-tailed Lark parents incubated their eggs 95.97 ± 2.62% over the entire day, and they seemed to maintain the eggs at temperatures around 23-33 °C. In addition, they incubated more at night than during the daytime. Temperatures under the shrubs at night fell below 21 °C, thus parents increased the nest attendance to warm the eggs and prevent the embryos from exposure to lethal temperatures.

Keywords: Ammomanes cinctura; Desert; Larks; Nest attendance.

Fig. 1

A map of the study area showing the nest locations (red stars) and the locations of encountered chicks (blue stars).

Fig. 2

A trail camera (Moultrie M-880i Gen 2 Trail Camera, Mossy Oak Bottomland), placed about 1.5 m from each nest to record the nest attendance behavior of adults and any disturbances or threats.

Fig. 3

A Bar-tailed Lark nest showing: (a) the shade of the shrub trunks covering the entire nest (the photo was taken at 4:40 PM), (b) the shrub trunks seemed to match the incubating adult plumage, the pebbles surrounded the nest from two sides, (c) a parent feeding the chicks, the pebbles surrounding the nest have been removed to widen the nest.

Fig. 4

(a) Ground surface temperature in an open area about 1 m from nests (opened triangle), the temperature under the eggs directly (filled circles) and temperature near the nest under the shrub’s shade (opened circles), (b) nest attendance (%), (mean ± SE for each two-hour period).