Greater Short-toed Lark (Calandrella brachydactyla)

OTHER NAMES: N/A
Latin Etymology: Calandrella (diminutive of Calandra) brachydactyla (Short toed)

Adult Greater Short-toed Lark (Calandrella brachydactyla)) at Side, Antalya, turkey - April 2025

Featured Subspecies: ?
Weight: 18-25g  /  Length: 14-15cm  /  Wingspan: 27-32cm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

A small lark species with a stout, wedge shaped bill found around the Mediterranean and Central Asia. As with most larks they both breed and primarily feed on the ground, with a varied diet consisting of invertebrates, seeds and plants as found in their preferred arid scrubland habitats. 

Related Species:
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Alaudidae
Genus: Calandrella
SUBSPECIES: C. b. brachydactyla, C. b. hungarica, C. b. rubiginosa, C. b. hermonensis, C. b. woltersi, C. b. artemisiana, C. b. longipennis, C. b. orientalis

 - Sighting Locations -

TURKEY  - Turkish: Bozkır toygarı ("Steppe Lark")
 - ANTALYA 2025 TRIP - Several birds near Side. 

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

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Oriental Skylark (Alauda gulgula)

OTHER NAMES: Small Skylark
Latin Etymology: Alauda ("lark") gulgula (unclear etymology)

Adult Oriental Skylark (subspecies A. g. gulgula) at Florican Grasslands, Cambodia - February 2019

Featured Subspecies: Alauda gulgula gulgula
Weight: 15g  /  Length: 15-18cm  /  Wingspan: ?
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

The Oriental Skylark is as the name suggests, the equivalent of the Eurasian Skylark of East Asia.  It appears cosmetically similar to them, but a little smaller and more slender.  They seemed to spend their time scurrying alonside the roads, looking for food, having slightly more pipit like behaviour than other larks I've seen.

Related Species:
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Alaudidae
Genus: Alauda
SUBSPECIES: A. g. inconspicua, A. g. Ihamarum, A. g. weigoldi, A. g. inopinata, A. g. verynayi, A. g. gulgula, A. g. coelivox, A. g. wattersi

 - Sighting Locations -

CAMBODIA - Khmer name: ក្រូចអុិនកំប៉ោយ

A fairly common resident.

SINGAPORE / CAMBODIA 2019 TRIP - A some seen at Florican Grassland Reserve

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

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 .

Woodlark (Lullula arborea)

OTHER NAMES: Wood Lark
Latin Etymology: Lullula (diminutive from French onomatopoeia "lulu") arborea ("of a tree")

Adult Woodlark (subspecies L. a. arborea) at Thursley Common - April 2013

Featured Subspecies: Lullula arborea arborea
Weight: 24-36g  /  Length: 13.5-15cm  /  Wingspan: 27-30cm
UK AMBER LIST  / IUCN Red List Least Concern

The Woodlark is one of the few UK bird species which is a heath specialist, and thus far rarer than it's most similar relations, the Skylark.  It is however a much "stubbier" bird that the Skylark with a shorter body and tail without the notable crest of the skylark.  The also have a different song to the iconic one of the skylark while still be "lark" enough to be identifiable as such.  I heard this bird on my first visit to Thursley Common, but it wasn't until the second that I actually managed to catch sight of it.

Related Species:
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Alaudidae
Genus: Lullula
Subspecies: L. a. arborea, L. a. pallida

 - Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - Scarce and local breeding species (3,100 pairs)

 - Birds seen and heard at Thursley Common in April 2013.

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

Crested Lark (Galerida cristata)

OTHER NAMES: N/A

Latin Etymology: Galerida ("lark with a crest") cristata ("crested")

Adult Crested Lark (subspecies G. c. pallida) in Farmland near Madrid, Spain - June 2015

Featured Subspecies: Galerida cristata pallida
Weight: 37-55g  /  Length: 17cm  /  Wingspan: 29-38cm
ABSENT FROM UK / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

The crested lark is a lark found widely throughout most of mainland Europe, but is absent from the British Isles. In Southern Spain at least it is fairly widespread, found on open ground, both in the countryside, or even, in this case, in the middle of cities - this particular individual was in the middle of Seville city center alongside the canal.  They get their name from their crest, which when raised is far more striking than the Skylark.  I saw this species again on my visits to Madrid, but unlike in Seville, it seemed more restricted to the countryside yet more abundant.

Related Species:
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Alaudidae
Genus: Galerida
Subspecies: G. c. cristata, G. c. pallida, G. c. neumanni, G. c. apuliae, G. c. tenuirostris, G. c. meridionalis, G. c. caucasica, G. c. subtaurica, G. c. cypriaca, G. c. zion, G. c. cinnamomina, G. c. magna, G. c. leautungensis, G. c. coreensis, G. c. iwanowi, G. c. lynesi, G. c. kleinschmidti, G. c. riggenbachi, G. c. carthaginis, G. c. randoni, G. c. macrorhyncha, G. c. balsaci, G. c. arenicola, G. c. helenae, G. c. festae, G. c. brachyura, G. c. nigricans, G. c. maculata, G. c. halfae, G. c. senegallensis, G. c. jordansi, G. c. alexanderi, G. c. isabellina, G. c. altirostris, G. c. somaliensis, G. c. tardinata, G. c. chendoola

SPAIN - Spanish -  Cogujada común ("Common Lark")

Common to locally abundant resident, particularly in Cities.

 - SEVILLE 2011 TRIP: A number seen at Italica, and a pair in the centre of Seville itself.
 - MADRID 2015 TRIP: Common on farmland around Madrid.
 - MADRID 2016 TRIP: Common around Madrid and appropriate sites throughout, including many a round Laguna del Longar.               

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

Shorelark (Eremophila alpestris)

OTHER NAMES: Shore Lark, Horned Lark
Latin Etymology: Eremophila ("desert loving") alpestris ("alpine")

Three adult Shorelark (subspecies E. a. flava) at Reculver, Kent -  February 2011

Featured Subspecies: Eremophila alpestris flava

Weight: 33-45g  /  Length: 16-19cm  /  Wingspan: 30-24cm

NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

Known in America as "Horned Larks", Shore larks are the scarcest of the the three UK larks - a Winter visitor which turns up on beaches along the East Coast in numbers between a handful and a few hundred. This is perhaps balanced by the fact it is one of the most massively globally distributed species I have seen, found on every continent except Australasia and Antarctica. They also are, in my opinion, by far the most striking of the UK larks - while the other lark species of Europe have varying combinations of ochre, it has a distinctive yellow and black face and a white chest. For the most part these will probably require some awareness of where they have been sighted to find - even there I made sure to ask where exactly they'd been seen to make it easier to find them.

Related Species:
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Alaudidae
Genus: Eremophila
Subspecies*: E. a. atlas, E. a. balcanica, E. a. kumerloevei, E. a. bicornis, E. a. penicillata, E. a. albigula, E. a. longirostris, E. a. teleschowi, E. a. argalea, E. a. elwesi, E. a. khamensis, E. a. nigrifrons, E. a. przewalskii, E. a. flava, E. a. brandti, E. a. hoyti, E. a. alpestris, E. a. praticola, E. a. giraudi, E. a. arcticola, E. a. alpina, E. a. leucolaema, E. a. enthymia, E. a. merrilli, E. a. lamprochroma, E. a. utahensis, E. a. ammophila, E. a. leucansiptila, E. a. occidentalis, E. a. strigata, E. a. sierrae, E. a. rubea, E. a. actia, E. a. insularis, E. a. adusta, E. a. enertera, E. a. aphrasta, E. a. lactea, E. a. diaphora, E. a. chrysolaema, E. a. oaxacae, E. a. peregrina 

* The Shorelark is probably imminently due to be split into 6 species, consisting of Atlas, Caucasian, Himalayan, Shore, Steppe and Horned larks.  Obviously, if this happens, this list will decrease substantially.     

- Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - A rare Winter visitor (c. 74 birds)

 - A trio seen at Reculver,in February 2011        

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

Eurasian Skylark (Alauda arvensis)

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

Adult Eurasian Skylark (subspecies A. a. arvensis) at Trevose Head, Cornwall - June 2010

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 Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

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