Crested lark explained

The crested lark (Galerida cristata) is a species of lark widespread across Eurasia and northern Africa. It is a non-migratory bird, but can occasionally be found as a vagrant in Great Britain.

Taxonomy and systematics

The crested lark was one of the many species originally described by Carl Linnaeus in his landmark 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae. It was classified in the genus Alauda until German naturalist Friedrich Boie placed it in the new genus Galerida in 1821. Colin Harrison recommended lumping members of Galerida and Lullula back into Alauda in 1865 due to a lack of defining characteristics.[1] The current scientific name is derived from Latin. Galerida was the name for a lark with a crest, from galerum, "cap", and cristata means "crested".[2] Alban Guillaumet and colleagues noted the distinctiveness of populations from the Maghreb - birds in the dryer parts of Morocco and Tunisia had longer bills while those in more coastal northern parts had shorter bills typical of the European subspecies. The authors sampled the mitochondrial DNA and found they were distinct genetically.[3]

Formerly, the Maghreb lark was considered as a subspecies of the crested lark.[4]

Subspecies

Thirty-three subspecies are recognized:[5]

Description

A fairly small lark, the crested lark is roughly the same size as a Eurasian skylark, but shorter overall and bulkier around the head and body, and very similar in appearance,[6] with a height of 17cm (07inches) and a wingspan of 29to, weighing between 37and.[7] It is a small, brown bird which has a short tail with light brown outer feathers. Male and females have no real differences, but young crested larks have more spots on their back than their older counterparts. Its plumage is downy but sparse and appears whitish. The distinct crest from which the crested lark gets its name is conspicuous at all times but is more pronounced during territorial or courtship displays and when singing.[8] [9] In flight it shows reddish underwings. It shares many characteristics with the Thekla lark, with the main distinctions between the two being the beak, the Thekla's heavier black-brown streaks and its grey underwing, present in European specimens.

Distribution and habitat

The crested lark breeds across most of temperate Eurasia from Portugal to north-eastern China and eastern India, and in Africa south to Niger. It is non-migratory, and the sedentary nature of this species is illustrated by the fact that it is only a very rare vagrant to Great Britain,[10] despite breeding as close as northern France.[11] While the bird is not commonly found in Scandinavia today, it could be found in Sweden until the 1990s, with sources reporting six individual birds in 1992 before becoming extirpated in Sweden in 1993.[12] The birds have also been extirpated in several other European countries, including Norway (1972), Luxembourg (1973) and Switzerland (1980s).

This is a common bird of dry, open country and is often seen by roadsides or in cereal fields, although it is also found occupying small, sandy patches by railways, docks and airfields.

Behaviour

The crested lark is a songbird, and has a liquid, warbling song described onomatopoeically as a or a . It sings in flight from high in the sky, at roughly 30to above the ground. The related Eurasian skylark exhibits similar behaviour but also sings during its ascent, whereas the crested lark sings either at altitude or on the ground.[13] Their flight pattern is an example of undulatory locomotion.

Breeding

It nests in small depressions in the ground, often in wastelands and on the outskirts of towns. The nests are untidy structures composed primarily of dead grasses and roots. Three to five brown, finely speckled eggs, similar to those of the Eurasian skylark, are laid at a time and will hatch after . As with most larks, the chicks leave the nest early, after about eight days and take flight after reaching old. Two broods will usually be raised each year.

Food and feeding

Largely vegetarian birds, the crested lark primarily feeds on grains and seeds, such as oats, wheat and barley, but will also eat insects, particularly beetles, with food either being scavenged from the ground or dug up.[14] Juvenile birds are fed by both parents, and generally leave the nest before they are able to fly to start foraging for food themselves.

Relationship to humans

Francis of Assisi considered the crested lark a bird of special significance, based on similarities he perceived between it and the life of the Friars Minor: its plain earth-coloured plumage and hood, its humility ("for it goes willingly along the wayside and finds a grain of corn for itself"), and its time spent in song.[15]

Status

The crested lark has been categorised by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as being of least concern, meaning that it is not currently threatened with extinction. Estimates for the global population of mature individuals of the species range from 22,000,000 to 91,200,000.[16] Figures for Europe are less varied, with estimates putting the number of breeding pairs at between 3,600,000 and 7,600,000, or between 7,200,000 and 15,200,000 individuals. In Europe, trends since 1982 have shown an overall decline in the population of the species, resulting in the assumption that the crested lark is in decline globally.

Notes and References

  1. Harrison. C. J. O.. Colin Harrison (ornithologist). 1966. The Validity of Some Genera of Larks (Alaudidae). Ibis. 108. 4. 573–83. 10.1111/j.1474-919X.1966.tb07209.x.
  2. Book: Jobling, James A . 2010. The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names . Christopher Helm . London . 978-1-4081-2501-4 . 122, 169.
  3. Guillaumet, Alban . Pons, Jean-Marc . Godelle, Bernard . Crochet, Pierre-Andre . 2006. History of the Crested Lark in the Mediterranean region as revealed by mtDNA sequences and morphology. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 39. 3. 645–56. 10.1016/j.ympev.2006.01.002 . 16473529.
  4. Web site: Waxwings to swallows . Gill, F . D Donsker . 30 June 2013 . IOC World Bird List: Version 3.4 . International Ornithologists' Union . 30 July 2013 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110724185757/http://www.worldbirdnames.org/n-waxwings.html . 24 July 2011.
  5. IOC World Bird List 6.4. IOC World Bird List Datasets. 10.14344/ioc.ml.6.4. free.
  6. Book: Černý, Walter. A Field Guide in Colour to Birds. 1975. Octopus Books Limited. London. 070640405X. 156–157. Margot Schierlová. Illustrated by Karel Drchal.
  7. Book: Snow . David . Perrins . Christopher M. . The Birds of the Western Palearctic concise edition . 2 . Oxford University Press . 1998. Oxford . 1037–1040. 0198501889.
  8. Book: Harbard, Chris. Songbirds: How to attract them and identify their song. 1989. Kingfisher Books. London. 0862724597. 52.
  9. Book: Burnie, David. Animal: The Definitive Visual Guide to the World's Wildlife. 2001. Dorling Kindersley. London. 9780789477644. 342.
  10. News: Thousands flock to see rare bird. 28 July 2013. BBC News. 2 May 2009.
  11. Book: The complete guide to the bird life of Britain and Europe. Bounty Books. 185. Hayman, Peter. Hume, Rob. October 2001. 9781857327953.
  12. European news. British Birds. June 1995. 88. 274. British Birds Ltd.. 0007-0335.
  13. Book: Hayman, Peter. The Birdlife of Britain. 1979. Mitchell Beazley Publishers Limited. London. 0855330872. 80. 2nd. Burton, Philip. Crested Lark.
  14. Web site: Robinson. R.A.. Crested Lark Galerida cristata. BirdFacts. British Trust for Ornithology. 28 July 2013. 16 January 2013.
  15. Book: Armstrong, Edward A.. Saint Francis, Nature Mystic: The Derivation and Significance of the Nature Stories in the Franciscan Legend. 1973. University of California Press. Berkeley and Los Angeles, California. 0520019660. 90–91.
  16. Web site: Species factsheet: Galerida cristata. BirdLife International . 15 August 2022.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Crested lark".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.