Calandra Lark (Melanocorypha calandra)

OTHER NAMES: N/A

Latin Etymology: Melanocorypha ("black lark") calandra (species specific name)

                                            Calandra Lark (subspecies M. c. calandra) at Laguna del Longar, Spain - April 2016

Featured Subspecies: Melanocorypha calandra calandra

Weight: 44-73g  /  Length: 18-20cm  /  Wingspan: 38-44cm

NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

A large, powerfully built lark with a distinctive black "neckerchief" like mark, the Calandra lark is found around much of the rim of the Mediterranean, the Black Sea and into Central Asia, after which it is replaced by its closest relative, the Bimaculated Lark.  A bird of farmland and steppe, it feeds on seeds and insects.  It has a comparatively large population, but isn't the commonest lark species within its range.

Related Species:
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Alaudidae
Genus: Melanocorphya
Subspecies: M. c. calandra, M. c. hebraica, M. c. gaza, M. c. psammochroa

 - Sighting Locations -

SPAIN - Spanish - Calandria común ("Common Calander")

Scarce and Local Resident

 - MADRID 2016 TRIP: Abundant at Laguna del Longar (dozens of Summer plumage birds)

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto