Galerida magnirostris
A rather nondescript bird, perfectly camouflaged to blend in with the barren substrates they favour, the Large-billed Lark is a bird of the fynbos and Karoo biomes. They forage on the open ground, feeding on seeds and insects, and are particularly fond of ploughed fields and overgrazed pastures. They’re usually seen in pairs.
Large-billed Larks are territorial and form monogamous pairs that breed from mid-winter to mid-summer, building cup-shaped nests at the base of a grass tuft or low shrub in which both partners incubate clutches of 2-4 eggs for a little over 2 weeks. While the chicks are in the nest the parents are fearless about protecting them against predators and humans alike. Fully grown they weigh around 48g and measure about 18cm in length.
The Large-billed Lark is found only in the Western, Eastern and Northern Cape Provinces as well as the southern Free State, Lesotho and extreme southern Namibia. The IUCN considers it to be of least concern.
DeWetsWild 
Siestog, die ou voëltjie het darem nou ook nie ‘n baie vleiende Afrikaanse naam nie 😉. Ek sien sommer op jou foto’s dat hy/sy nie baie gelukkig is met jou (of die lewe) nie … bietjie dikbek!
Dalk nie n mooi naam nie, maar defnitief gepas! 😀
One of my favourite larks – almost guaranteed to be calling whenever I stop at a barren field or ploughed land while atlasing in the southern Cape. Sounds like a gate hinge that needs some oil!
I was interested to notice how close they’d allow us to get, Don. Seems they know how perfectly they’re camouflaged!
The larks still run circles around me as far as easy identification is concerned.
Same here, Anne. I probably get it wrong more than I get it right. My process usually starts by consulting the field guides to see what species might be present in any given locality and then I try to narrow it down from there, often with lots of help from Marilize and Joubert
Certainly great camouflage.
If they didn’t move I would have a very hard time seeing them at all, Janet!
Quite the little one to be fearless!
A parent’s love stretches so far, Lois!
Het hom opgesoek. Interessant dat hy net in suidelike Suid Afrika voorkom. Het hy sy kuifie vir julle opgelig? Dis te dierbaar nê?
Dit lyk nogal of hulle die kuifie lig wanneer hulle skrik, Ineke. Ek stem saam, dit is n baie oulike maniertjie van hulle.
Haha, te oulik.