Page 268 - Complete Birds of Britain and Europe (DK - RSPB)

LARKS
Order Passeriformes Family Alaudidae Species Galerida cristata
Crested Lark sharp, pointed curved bill
crest, raised

rust-orange dark line
patch on streaked, pale below eye
underwings brown back crest laid
flat
blurred dark
plain pale
pale, dull upperwings streaks on
rump breast

blackish
tail with
grey centre, whitish
orange sides underparts

IN FLIGHT

everal larks have short, stubby
Scrests, which may be raised but still look
blunt: only the Crested and Thekla Larks have really obvious FLIGHT: floppy, heavy, bounding, with bursts of
pointed crests in Europe.The two are difficult to tell apart, but it is slowish wingbeats and swooping glides; song-flight
the Crested that is by far the more widespread and common, both high, circling.
in range and habitat selection. It is typically, SLIM AND ALERT
however, a bird of farmed land, often seen at A Crested Lark in mild alarm raises
the side of roads, flying up in front of passing its crest and stretches tall and slim;
traffic to reveal its broad, round wings and when relaxed, it will look rounder.
short tail. It seldom perches on bushes, as the
Thekla Lark sometimes does.
VOICE Rich, fluty, liquid call, tree-loo-ee or
vee-vee-teu; song from perch or in high,
circling flight similar in quality with fluty,
melancholy notes.
NESTING Small hollow on ground, in grass,
lined with fine stems; 3–6 eggs; 2 or 3 broods;
April–June.
FEEDING Forages on ground, often on bare
patches, for insects, seeds, and shoots. OCCURRENCE
Widespread but patchily
SIMILAR SPECIES distributed breeding bird north to
Denmark and Baltic States; rare
much shorter crest THEKLA LARK vagrant farther north. Typically in
shorter greyer underwings; cultivated areas or semi-natural
crest white edge stronger streaks
to wings on breast; vegetation with few trees, some-
see p.267 times in semi-derelict places or
disturbed ground with light, sandy
soils, and on airport grassland.
LESSER SHORT-TOED LARK SKYLARK Seen in the UK
see p.437 see p.265 JF M A M J JA S ON D
Length 17–19cm (6 1 ⁄2 –7 1 ⁄2in) Wingspan 30–35cm (12–14in) Weight 30–35g (1 1 ⁄16 –1 1 ⁄4oz)
Social Small flocks Lifespan Up to 5 years Status Declining†
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