Birds · Passeriformes · Alaudidae
Eurasian Skylark
Alauda arvensis
The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary
A typical lark of brown tones with dark streaking, an elongated, robust body, a strong bill and long legs, wings and tail. It combines a small crest, a pale face mask, a streaked breast, a white trailing edge to the wings and white outer tail feathers. Its flight is fast and highly manoeuvrable, with prolonged hovering and dizzying ascents.
Weight
30 g on average
Size
18 cm – 19 cm
Lifespan
3 years
Diet
Omnivore
Combines animal and plant food depending on availability.
Activity
Diurnal
Active mainly during the day.
Social structure
In pairs
Usually lives in pairs, sometimes for life.
Sighting difficulty
Easy
Estimated population
2.32-2.54 million breeding individuals in Spain according to the Third Atlas
Fun facts
- It sings in flight, sometimes so high that it can barely be made out as a speck in the sky, and strings trills together without pause for minutes on end.
- Like almost all larks it is barely visible on the ground: it is detected by voice before sight.
- It is confused with Thekla's lark, although its crest is somewhat smaller and less pointed.
Life cycle & biology
- Skeleton type
- Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bird)
- Habitat & environment
- Open habitats: grassland, cereal crops, pasture, moorland, saltmarsh and airfields. It occupies almost every bioclimatic belt and reaches 3,000 m; it is commonest on the high plateaus of Castile and León and in mountain pasture. It tolerates a temperature range from -14.8 °C to 36.3 °C
- Birth weight
- Altricial: born blind, naked or with sparse down and entirely dependent
- Size at birth
- Altricial: born blind, naked or with sparse down and entirely dependent
- Sexual maturity
- 12 months
- Gestation / incubation
- 11 days
- Litter / clutch size
- 3
Sources consulted: SEO/BirdLife (ficha y III Atlas: Del Moral y Molina 2022); Libro Rojo de las Aves de España 2021 (Pérez-Granados et al.); Asturnatura; MITECO (Inventario Nacional); programa Sacre; eBird
Where to find it
See its range on the interactive mapBest time: All year round in the northern half of the peninsula; it is far easier to detect by song than by sight
Where to watch it
Parques y spots de buceo donde se ha documentado esta especie — se muestran 10 de 272 documentados.
Related species
Other species in the catalogue with the most in common with Eurasian Skylark — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.
Calandra Lark
Melanocorypha calandra
Woodlark
Lullula arborea
Greater Short-toed Lark
Calandrella brachydactyla
Crested Lark
Galerida cristata
Eurasian Collared Dove
Streptopelia decaocto
Black-bellied Sandgrouse
Pterocles orientalis
Keep exploring
Based on what we already know about eurasian skylark.
Comments
Share an experience, a fun fact or a tip for seeing the eurasian skylark.
Be the first to comment.