Saturday 27 March 2010

Eurasian Skylark (Alauda arvensis)

OTHER NAMES: Skylark, Field Lark
Latin Etymology: Alauda ("lark") arvensis ("of the field")

Featured Subspecies: Alauda arvensis arvensis
Weight: 17-55g  /  Length: 18-19cm  /  Wingspan: 30-36cm
UK RED LIST / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

Very often, the Skylark will be heard before it is seen - Skylarks are famous for their song, often from very high in the air beyond where they can easily be seen with the naked eye.  It's distinctive song is perhaps one of the most iconic sounds of the British countryside, and tends to turn up a lot in television whenever the idea of "pastoral" wants to be invoked. They are by far the most common and easy to see member of the Lark family in the UK, found on more widespread habitats such as Farmland etc. However, due to changes in farming practices, they have suffered significant declines in the UK.  For seeing them, a better bet is trying to spot them while they are still on the ground, and places without such intense framing practices tend to be best - Trevose Head in summer was practically full of them.

Related Species:
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Alaudidae
Genus: Alauda
Subspecies: A. a. arvensis, A. a. scotica, A. a. guillelmi, A. a. sierrae, A. a. harterti, A. a. cantarella, A. a. armenica, A. a. dulcivox, A. a. kiborti, A. a. intermedia, A. a. pekinensis, A. a. lonnbergi, A. a. japonica

- Sighting Locations -
UNITED KINGDOM - Locally fairly common breeding resident (1,500,000 territories)
 - Seen at sites including Trevose Head and Geddington.          

Further Information: BirdForum OpusIUCN Red ListRSPBWikipedia, Xeno-canto

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