Eurasian Skylark
Alauda arvensis· 百灵科(1 photos)
Eurasian Skylark
17-19 cm. Bill sparrow-like; pale eyebrow encircles darker ear-coverts; crown feathers form low, cap-like crest; upperbreast boldly streaked; tail edged white. Immature: less 'crest'; more scalloped. Singles, pairs, companies: crouches, turns back, flattens itself on ground. Flushes with chirrup, flies in strong undulations on broad triangular wings with pale trailing edge, slightly forked tail edged white. Song-flight: hovers up, or mounts in spirals to great heights, singing.
- Other name
- English Skylark; Common Skylark.
- Similar Species
- Horsfield's Bushlark, Australasian Pipit.
- Voice
- mellow chirrup, heard overhead, spring/autumn. Song: sustained, clear, beautiful runs, trills, throbbing phrases. May include mimicry of Aust. species.
- Habitat
- cultivated grasslands/crops; wastelands, coastal dunes.
- Breeding
- Sept.-Jan.
- Nest
- grass-lined cup by tussock.
- Eggs
- 3-5; grey-white, freckled/blotched brown.
- Range & Status
- se. Aust.: introduced from Britain in 1850s; ranges from Yorke Pen. (SA) to Hunter Valley (NSW), inland to c. Macquarie Marshes. Common Tas., Vic., s. SA, NSW Riverina. Nomadic; part-migratory.
- Distribution key to races
- 1. Alauda arvensis arvensis
