Birds · Passeriformes · Alaudidae

Calandra Lark

Melanocorypha calandra

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

The largest of the Iberian larks, with brown plumage, a white belly and a striking black patch on either side of the neck. The claw of the hind toe is elongated. The sexes look alike. In flight the white trailing edge of the wings stands out, a feature it shares with the skylark.

Weight

55 g – 63 g

Size

25 cm – 27 cm

Lifespan

4 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

GrasslandOmnivore Diurnal In pairs Bird Grassland

5countries 13parks4same family

Fun facts

GeneralA great mimic: it works the calls of other steppe birds into its own song.
It has an extraordinary facility for imitating the songs of other birds, and the males are far more skilled than the females.
Its courtship dance consists of gliding slowly with the wings held at an angle and the tail well spread, singing as it rises and falls.
Its name comes from the Greek kalandros, the name the ancients gave to this very bird.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bird)
Habitat & environment: Cereal steppe and dry farmland plains
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: 1 year
Gestation / incubation: 11-12 days of incubation
Litter / clutch size: It builds its nest sheltered in small shrubs or among cereal crops, from twigs and grass, and rarely in the open

Sources consulted: IUCN Red List; SEO/BirdLife (programa Sacre y campaña sobre aves agrarias); Wikipedia (Melanocorypha calandra); Anexo Aves de España; Linnaeus 1766; Boie 1828