Page 269 - Complete Birds of Britain and Europe (DK - RSPB)

LARKS
Order Passeriformes Family Alaudidae Species Galeridae theklae
Thekla Lark fan-shaped straight
bill
crest, raised
dark stripe below eye
pale
plain upperwings around
grey
underwings eye
closely streaked,
grey-brown back
rufous
rump IN FLIGHT sharp,
blackish tail with thick dark
pink-brown centre streaks on
crest laid and rusty sides whitish
flat breast

white belly

ike the Crested Lark, the Thekla Lark has a quite
L obvious pointed crest, although somewhat blunter
and more fan-shaped than the Crested’s sharp spike.Theklas are
found less in cereal fields than Cresteds, although they do occupy
stony slopes with small corn fields separated by bushes and hedges. FLIGHT: series of quick flaps between short glides;
More usually, they occupy orchards and clearings in open woodland, high, soaring song-flight.
or rough, open areas of stony grassland and CAMOUFLAGE
barren rocky slopes. Plumage and call Thekla and Crested Larks vary only
differences from other larks (especially the slightly in colour, both often
Crested Lark) are very subtle, and its matching the general colour of
identification is often based on a the local rocks and soil.
combination of factors.
VOICE Full-throated, musical call, tu-tewi,
tew-tewi-loo, variable number of notes; song
varied, liquid, rich warble in flight, much
like Crested Lark’s.
NESTING Shallow hollow on ground, in
grass or other vegetation; 3–5 eggs;
2 broods;April–June.
FEEDING Picks shoots, seeds, and insects
from ground.
OCCURRENCE
SIMILAR SPECIES Breeds in Spain, Portugal, and very
locally in S France. In dry,
CRESTED LARK longer bill WOODLARK blackish cultivated areas with trees, rocky,
more orange edge of wings;
underwings; see p.268 grassy hillsides, and mountain
see p.266 white tail slopes, either open and treeless,
sides smaller
or bushy slopes with scattered
boulders and taller trees. Strictly
resident.
SKYLARK
white trailing edge Seen in the UK
to wings; see p.265 JF M A M J JA S ON D
Length 15–17cm (6–6 1 ⁄2in) Wingspan 30–35cm (12–14in) Weight 30g (1 1 ⁄16oz)
Social Small flocks Lifespan Up to 5 years Status Vulnerable
267