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Rufous Songlark (Cincloramphus mathewsi) Alternate name(s): "Rufous-rumped Singing-lark", "Singing Lark*", misnomer: "Skylark*" Aboriginal name(s): "yedjoolop*" (WA) Size: 19-21 cm (male), 16-18 cm (female); wing span: 29-32 cm (male), 24-27 cm (female) Body mass: 30-42 g (male), 18-31 g (female) Wing loading [g/cm2]: ca. 0.22 (both sexes)

Australia: Family Group 26 Family Group 26 Table Australian Reed-Warbler Spinifexbird Tawny Grassbird Little Grassbird Golden-headed Cisticola Zitting Cisticola Rufous Songlark Brown Songlark Yellow White-eye Ash-bellied White-eye Silvereye Bassian Thrush Russet-tailed Thrush Metallic Starling Thumbnails page Family group table Index of bird names Habitat pages Key plants Birds home page

Similar species

Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description Click here for a physical description Rufous Songlarks are medium-sized Australian grassland larks. Their highly cryptic plumage is dimorphic, i.e. males and females are slightly different. Both sexes have a brown, slightly scalloped crown and back. The throat and eyebrows are light brownish-grey. The eyes are adorned by a brown eye-stripe. The breast is lightly scalloped brownish, the belly and vent are creamy to light-brown. The wings are dark-brown, with lighter brown edges. The rump is rufous; the tail is dark-grey with rufous outer edges. During the breeding season male Rufous Songlarks have a black bill. Females have a light-brown bill and are smaller than male Rufous Songlarks. The eyes of both sexes have dark irises. The legs and feet of both sexes are greyish-pink. Juveniles are paler than adults and have a spotted breast and throat. Twitcher's tip Both sexes of Rufous Songlarks have a rufous vent, which distinguishes them from Brown Songlarks. Apart from that they are also smaller.

Taxonomy, classification See Rufous Songlark at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species Click here for information on habitat and range The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found, based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org . The global distribution of the Rufous Songlark is available HERE . Rufous Songlarks are endemic to Australia. They can be found basically anywhere on the Australian continent, except the tip of Cape York peninsula. They only rarely venture into the major sandy deserts of western WA. They breed in the south-eastern and western parts of the continent and extend their range northwards in winter. During the breeding season they are found in the western third of WA, from the south-western corner to the catchments of the Gascoyne River and the Yannarie River. In the South-East the breeding range extends from south-eastern SA (up to Coober Pedy as the north-western delimiter), all through VIC and NSW plus south-eastern QLD (from about Innamincka, just across the border in SA, to about the Whitsundays. Rufous Songlarks have a preference for open woodland, with scattered trees and open grassland in between. The males will use the trees as demarcations of their territories, while the females nest somewhere in open grassland or in dense undergrowth. They are often also present in farmland with scattered trees. Where to look? How to find this species? Especially during the breeding season, it is easy to find Rufous Songlarks, at least in inland Australia. Usually, if one drives some distance along quiet country roads, it should be possible to find a male sitting somewhere on a nearly/roadside power line. Their frequent use of elevated perches in otherwise relatively open country makes male Rufous Songlarks easy to spot. Once found, one can also easily follow their movements, in display flights, from perch to perch. Females are MUCH harder to spot than males.

Sightings Click here for sighting information Rufous Songlarks were first spotted by us when a couple stayed at our former place, 20 km South of Narrabri, NSW, during the summer of 2004. Rufous Songlarks are regular spring/summer visitors to the Narrabri, NSW, region, including e.g. Eulah Creek, 20 km East of Narrabri. While obviously at home in open farmland, with paddocks and some scattered trees, they are also found by us in Deriah Aboriginal Area, 30 km East of Narrabri, in the foothills of the Nandewar Range, in open eucalypt woodland with sparse undergrowth. The species was also found by us near Gwabegar, NSW, near the western edge of the Pilliga scrub, in December 2011. A nesting pair was found near Narrabri Lakein October 2013. We are grateful to A. Flynn for pointing out the location of the nest to us. R. Plumtree reports spotting Rufous Songlarks occasionally near Ensay, East Gippsland, VIC. J. Greaves reports spotting Rufous Songlarks at Boolardy Station, Murchison, WA, in August 2016. P. Brown found Rufous Songlarks along Bird Billabong Road, near the Arnhem Highway, NT, in July 2018. M. Mearns found a Rufous Songlark in Diamantina NP, QLD, in September 2019. Lots of Rufous Songlarks have been found by M. Eaton and ourselves in various locations in Outback SW QLD. Especially in wintertime, when usually quiet further southward, they are actively calling in southern QLD (e.g. at Bowra Wildlife Sanctuary, near Cunnamulla, QLD, and at Kilcowera Station, between Thargomindah and Hungerford, QLD). Together with V. Collins, we found a Rufous Songlark at Macquarie Marshes NR, NSW, in May 2021. In June 2022, M. Eaton found Rufous Songlarks at Roxby Downs, SA. C. Pears reports spotting a Rufous Songlark at Mellenbye Station, ca. 50 km NE of Morawa, WA, in September 2022.

Photos

ADULT

PAIR

Many bird species exhibit sexual dimorphism, i.e., male and female have differing appearances which can be quite subtle.
During the breeding season, male Rufous Songlarks, left, have a black bill (inside and out), while females have a pale bill. The male is then also almost all-grey, with some darker spotting on the chest. When the male is in eclipse, the only difference between the sexes is their relative size; the male is considerably larger than the female.

Lateral view of a male Rufous Songlark, right, courting a female
[Near Narrabri, NSW, October 2021]

MALE

BREEDING

Frontal view of a male Rufous Songlark in breeding plumage; note the black bill (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Coolmunda, near Inglewood, QLD, November 2024]

Frontal view of a male Rufous Songlark in breeding plumage looking sideways (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Coolmunda, near Inglewood, QLD, November 2024]

Frontal view of a male Rufous Songlark in breeding plumage looking sideways (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Cacoory Bore, Eyre Developmental Road, QLD, August 2025]

Frontal/ventral view of a male Rufous Songlark in breeding plumage in a treetop; note the greyish appearance in harsh light
[Eulah Creek, NSW, September 2007]

Near-frontal view of a male Rufous Songlark in breeding plumage looking towards the observer (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Spring Gully Road, North Ensay, East Gippsland, VIC, January 2014]

Close-up near-frontal/ventral view of a male Rufous Songlark in breeding plumage looking sideways
[Near Pilliga, NSW, August 2024]

Close-up near-lateral view of a male Rufous Songlark in breeding plumage on one of its favourite perches, from where he often takes off on display flights
[Eulah Creek, NSW, November 2016]

Near-lateral view of a male Rufous Songlark in breeding plumage issuing its call; note the black inside of its bill (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Ensay, East Gippsland, VIC, November 2019]

Close-up near-lateral/ventral view of a male Rufous Songlark in breeding plumage
[Near Pilliga, NSW, August 2024]

Close-up near-lateral/ventral view of a male Rufous Songlark in breeding plumage issuing its territorial call
[Near Pilliga, NSW, August 2024]

Close-up lateral view of a male Rufous Songlark in breeding plumage on one of its favourite perches, from where he often takes off on display flights
[Eulah Creek, NSW, November 2016]

Lateral view of a male Rufous Songlark in breeding plumage
[Cacoory Bore, Eyre Developmental Road, QLD, August 2025]

Lateral view of a male Rufous Songlark in breeding plumage issuing its call
[Cacoory Bore, Eyre Developmental Road, QLD, August 2025]

Lateral view of a male Rufous Songlark in breeding plumage looking backwards
[Cacoory Bore, Eyre Developmental Road, QLD, August 2025]

Lateral view of a male Rufous Songlark in breeding plumage observing the observer
[Eulah Creek, NSW, November 2018]

NON-BREEDING

Close-up frontal view of a male Rufous Songlark in non-breeding plumage
[Eulah Creek, NSW, September 2017]

Frontal view of a male Rufous Songlark in non-breeding plumage looking sideways (photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Bird Billabong Road, near Arnhem Highway, NT, July 2018]

Close-up lateral view of a male Rufous Songlark in non-breeding plumage
[Eulah Creek, NSW, September 2017]

Near-dorsal view of a male Rufous Songlark in non-breeding plumage
[Macquarie Marshes NR, NSW, April 2017]

Near-dorsal view of a male Rufous Songlarkin non-breeding plumage; note the greyish appearance in bad light (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Boolardy Station, Murchison, WA, August 2016]

Close-up near-dorsal view of a male Rufous Songlark in non-breeding plumage looking backwards (photo courtesy of V. Collins)
[Macquarie Marshes NR, NSW, May 2021]

Close-up dorsal view of a male Rufous Songlark in non-breeding plumage (photo courtesy of V. Collins)
[Macquarie Marshes NR, NSW, May 2021]

Dorsal view of a Rufous Songlark in non-breeding plumage hiding in the underbrush of open woodland
[Near Barraba, NSW, October 2012]

FEMALE

Frontal portrait of a female Rufous Songlark eye-balling the photographer - note the light-coloured bill at the peak of the breeding season; this bird was also smaller than its partner
[Near Wee Waa, NSW, December 2024]

Frontal portrait of a female Rufous Songlark recovering after a run-in with a window pane and a subsequent attack by ants
[Eulah Creek, NSW, December 2025]

Full-frontal view of a female Rufous Songlark
[Eulah Creek, NSW, January 2019]

Frontal view of a female Rufous Songlark
[Eulah Creek, NSW, January 2019]

Frontal/ventral view of a female Rufous Songlark
[Eulah Creek, NSW, November 2016]

Close-up frontal view of a female Rufous Songlark looking sideways
[Eulah Creek, NSW, December 2025]

Near-frontal portrait of a female Rufous Songlark recovering after a run-in with a window pane and a subsequent attack by ants
[Eulah Creek, NSW, December 2025]

Near-frontal/ventral view of a female Rufous Songlark looking sideways
[Eulah Creek, NSW, November 2016]

Close-up near-lateral portrait of a female Rufous Songlark recovering after a run-in with a window pane and a subsequent attack by ants
[Eulah Creek, NSW, December 2025]

Near-lateral view of a female Rufous Songlark looking sideways (photo courtesy of V. Collins)
[Eulah Creek, NSW, March 2021]

Near-lateral view of a curious female Rufous Songlark inspecting the photographer who had stopped on a dirt road
[October 2008]

Near-lateral view of a female Rufous Songlark sheltering in a Wilga tree; note the conspicuous streaking on the chest
[Eulah Creek, NSW, December 2012]

Close-up lateral view of a female Rufous Songlark
[Eulah Creek, NSW, December 2025]

Close-up lateral view of a female Rufous Songlark recovering after a run-in with a window pane and a subsequent attack by ants
[Eulah Creek, NSW, December 2025]

Lateral view of a female Rufous Songlark
[Eulah Creek, NSW, January 2008]

Dorsal view of a female Rufous Songlark
[Eulah Creek, NSW, September 2019]

Sex unknown

Near-frontal view of a Rufous Songlark (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Kilcowera Station, between Thargomindah and Hungerford, QLD, June 2020]

Lateral view of a Rufous Songlark (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Kilcowera Station, between Thargomindah and Hungerford, QLD, June 2020]

Near-dorsal view of a Rufous Songlark looking sideways (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Kilcowera Station, between Thargomindah and Hungerford, QLD, June 2020]

Dorsal view of a Rufous Songlark looking sideways (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Kilcowera Station, between Thargomindah and Hungerford, QLD, June 2020]

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Frontal view of an immature Rufous Songlark in heavy moult (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Ensay, East Gippsland, VIC, November 2019]

Near-lateral view of an immature Rufous Songlark in heavy moult (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Ensay, East Gippsland, VIC, November 2019]

Frontal view of a juvenile Rufous Songlark; note the pale bill (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Opalton, QLD, June 2021]

Frontal view of a juvenile Rufous Songlark in our rural garden
[20 km South of Narrabri, NSW, December 2005]

Near-lateral view of a juvenile Rufous Songlark (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Opalton, QLD, June 2021]

Lateral view of a juvenile Rufous Songlark
[20 km South of Narrabri, NSW, December 2005]

Close-up lateral/ventral view of a juvenile Rufous Songlark
[Eulah Creek, NSW, December 2025]

Fledgling Rufous Songlark calling to be fed
[Maules Creek, NSW, December 2011]

Its sibling had the same idea
[Maules Creek, NSW, December 2011]

Lateral view of a female Rufous Songlark with a begging juvenile
[Eulah Creek, NSW, January 2025]

Breeding information

Breeding season: Aug - Feb

Eggs: 3 - 4

Incubation period: 11 days

Fledging age: ca. 12-13? days

Note that Rufous Songlarks have a very short incubation period.

Nest building: Female

Incubation: Female

Dependent care: Female

While the male marks his territory, the female takes on the full load of caring for the offspring, from start to finish.

Nest

"bungobittah", "lar", "malunna", "jindi" [bundjalung] = nest [Aboriginal]

Type: Basket

Material: Grass

Height above ground: N/A

Rufous Songlarks are ground-nesting birds.

View from above into a Rufous Songlark's nest that was found in tall grass right by the side of a road; the (third and) youngest chick of this clutch has just hatched and the female has not yet removed the broken egg shell (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Doctors Flat Road, Ensay South, East Gippsland, VIC, November 2015]

This female Rufous Songlark is the owner of the nest shown above (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Doctors Flat Road, Ensay South, East Gippsland, VIC, November 2015]

Somewhere under this African Boxthorn or in the wild growth next to it, all of which are located under a eucalypt tree, there is a Rufous Songlark nest; we did not try to find the nest itself
[Narrabri, NSW, October 2013]

Male Rufous Songlark marking its territory, singing right next to the undergrowth with the nest and the female
[Narrabri, NSW, October 2013]

Female Rufous Songlark coming out of the undergrowth to have a quick look at what is going on outside, before vanishing again
[Narrabri, NSW, October 2013]

Eggs

"boyanga", "booyanga", "derinya", "dirandil", "koomura", "mirk", "ngampu", "nooluk", "pateena", "pum-pum" = Egg; "dirundirri" = eggs [Aboriginal]; "gawu" = eggs [gamilaraay]

Size: 23 x 17 mm

Colour: Light-brown, with copious dark-brown speckles

Shape: Tapered oval

View from above into a Rufous Songlark's nest that was found in tall grass right by the side of a road; the (third and) youngest chick of this clutch has just hatched and the female has not yet removed the broken egg shell (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Doctors Flat Road, Ensay South, East Gippsland, VIC, November 2015]

Behaviour

Social behaviour: Territorial

Mobility: Migratory/dispersive

Elementary unit: Solitary/pair

Usually an observer will find the easy-to-spot male marking its territory from elevated perches or in display flights. The associated female shows skulking, cryptic behaviour on the ground and is often hard to find.

Rufous Songlarks do not follow the usual North-South migration pattern of other species. They will instead often retreat into the interior of the Australian continent in winter. Given that in winter temperatures, especially the minimum nighttime temperatures, are often almost equal throughout large parts of the Australian continent, it is unlikely that temperatures alone are what drives Rufous Songlarks' migration habits.

We have noticed that the point in time when male Rufous Songlarks start marking their territories is very sensitive to local conditions. There are differences over distances as short as a few km, with only a tiny change in altitude over such a distance, with the birds at higher altitude starting singing later than those below. At the start of the 2016 breeding season we heard a male Rufous Songlark singing at Pilliga in late July, when further to the East, towards the Great Dividing Range, their counterparts were still silent.

The males are prolific singers, either while perched as shown in a photo below or in flight. The display flight is slow, while chirping with curved back. They move around various conspicuous places to mark the boundaries of their territory.

Male Rufous Songlark starting its territorial song
[Eulah Creek, NSW, September 2007]

Lateral/ventral view of the female Rufous Songlark he is trying to lure; she is sitting lower in the same tree
[Eulah Creek, NSW, September 2007]

Different male Rufous Songlark issuing its call from a vantage point (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Spring Gully Road, North Ensay, East Gippsland, VIC, January 2014]

Rufous Songlarks are ground-nesting birds. As such they need tall grass and/or messy undergrowth for nesting. In 2009 we slashed our paddock in winter and removed messy undergrowth. Since then we have not seen Rufous Songlarks on our property (although we do leave tall grass standing on parts of the property at a distance of 200 m from the house). This may relate to the fact that we regularly observe feral cats in the area.

Cryptic behaviour of a female Rufous Songlark, relying on its camouflaged plumage to avoid attracting attention, rather than running (or flying) away
[Eulah Creek, NSW, September 2019]

Lateral view of a female Rufous Songlark cocking its tail, in a way very similar to Rufous Bush Robins
[Eulah Creek, NSW, December 2012]

A Rufous Songlark was spotted by us at Eulah Creek, 20 km East of Narrabri, in August 2008, i.e. at the end of winter, when the nights still brought regular frost. It is not clear whether they had left for the winter (which was mild overall) or had decided to stay, like other normally migratory birds. The day after major rainfall, with associated northerly ahead of the front, the first territorial calls started ringing around the property at the beginning of September 2008. As a contrast, territorial calls of a Rufous Songlark could be heard around our place in the 2010/11 season starting in December.

Lateral view of a male Rufous Songlark "ducking" like a duck
[Eulah Creek, NSW, January 2008]

Food, Diet

We have seen a Rufous Songlark take a small spider (photo below).

Female Rufous Songlark bringing a small spider for its chicks (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Doctors Flat Road, Ensay South, East Gippsland, VIC, November 2015]

Female Rufous Songlark with its prey
[Pilliga West SCA, NSW, September 2018]

Partly obscured close-up near-lateral view of a female Rufous Songlark with a grasshopper it has just caught (accidentally together with a twig)
[Eulah Creek, NSW, September 2019]

Call(s)/Song

For this species we have recorded the following call(s)/song. The interpretation of their meaning is our own; comments and suggestions for improvement are welcome.

Rufous Songlarks will usually call only during the breeding season.

rufslrk_20201219_2.m4a	(NW NSW)	Contact call (male)	© MD
rufslrk_20141006_5.mp3	(NW NSW)	Contact calls (male)	© MD
rufslrk_20211009.m4a	(NW NSW)	Contact calls? (female)	© MD
rufslrk_20210830.m4a	(NW NSW)	Q&A (male+female)	© MD
rufslrk_20181112_3.m4a	(NW NSW)	Territorial song (male; in display flight)	© MD
rufslrk_20201219.m4a	(NW NSW)	Territorial song (male; in display flight)	© MD
rufslrk_20210830_2.m4a	(NW NSW)	Female response to male (territorial display + contact calls)	© MD
rufslrk_20161229_1.m4a	(NW NSW)	Alarm calls (female; near nest?)	© MD
rufslrk_20181112.m4a	(NW NSW)	Begging calls (chicks) & territorial calls (male)	© MD
rufslrk_20181112_2.m4a	(NW NSW)	Begging calls (chicks)	© MD

More Rufous Songlark sound recordings are available at xeno-canto.org .

These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.

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