Skylark Alauda arvensis   [Linnaeus, 1758]

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   Page updated:16-January-2013

Order: Passeriformes Family: Alaudidae
BTO Codes: S., SKYLA EURING No: 9760
Number in Britain: 1.7 million territories (Summer)
Conservation Status:
UK: RED
European: 3 Concern, most not in Europe; Depleted
Global: (Details)
Links to: Images   Videos   Sound  
Status in UK: (A)  Resident Breeder, Passage/Winter Visitor
Subspecies: arvensis recorded in Britain (of 11 subsp. in the world)
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Length: 18 cm Wingspan: 33 cm Weight: M: 42 g   F: 35 g    
Scientific name from: L.: Alauda=lark (orig. Gaulish?) and L.: arvensis=of a field (from arvum=a field)
World Distribution: Europe, North Africa, n&c Asia, INTRODUCED: Canada, Australia, New Zealand
Habitat: Grassland, fields, tundra, sand dunes
Diet: Summer, mostly insects, otherwise cereal grain and weed seeds, also shoots
TitBit: An integral part of the British landscape, its song has inspired poets ranging from Chaucer to Blake, however, before the widespread introduction of farming it was probably quite scarce and its fortunes since have followed farming practices.  

Population and Distribution

Population Trend: BirdTrends   
Regional Trends: Scotland   Wales   England   English Regions
Distribution: Atlas Maps    BBS Maps
Abundance Maps: Population Density   Change in Density   Guide to Interpretation
British Population Size:
    Summer: 1.7 million territories in 2000
    First Record: Recorded in Anglo-Saxon times [Fossil evidence from Ipswichian (last) interglacial, c. 125,000 yr ago]
    Latest Survey: Browne, S. et al. (2000) Bird Study 47:52-65
    Conservation Status: RED because Recent Breeding Population Decline (1969-2007),
   Previous Assessments: 2002-2007 RED     1996-2001 RED  
   Races of Concern: arvensis RED (Recent Decline)
UK Biodiversity Action Plan (Lead Partner: RSPB)
Habitat Occupancy (in the Breeding Season):
    Most frequent in: Moorland
    Also common in: Arable Farmland, Bog
    And found in: Grass/Heath, Marsh
Relative Frequency in Each Habitat:
European Population Size:
    Summer: 25 to 45 million pairs   (Trend in Numbers)
Population Assesment from Birds in Europe
Distribution in Europe mapped by the EBCC Atlas
Listed on the Appendices/Schedules of: WBD(II*), Bern(III)
Survey Results: Results from BirdTrack
Results from the Winter Farmland Bird Survey

Breeding and Survival

Egg Size: 23 x 17 mm Egg Weight: 3.3 g (of which 6 % is shell)
Number of Nest Records: 180
Clutch Size: 3 - 4 eggs 3.49 ± 0.67 (1 - 6) N = 1448
Incubation: 13- 14 days 13.30 ± 1.82 (10.5 - 16.5) N = 1448   by the: Female
Fledging: 11 - 16days 13.48 ± 2.65 (9 - 17) N = 2077 as: Altricial, downy
Source:
British Trust for Ornithology (2005) Nest Record Scheme data
First Clutches Laid: 19 May (20 Apr - 6 Jul)
Number of Broods: 1-4
See trends in Breeding Productivity
Number Ringed: Annual Totals
Adult Survival: 0.513 ± 0.024       
Juvenile Survival: No data
Age at First Breeding: 1 year Typical Lifespan: 2 years
Maximum Recorded Age: 9 years 0 months 10 days (set in 2001)
Read a summary of Ringing Recoveries

Biometrics

Ring Size: B
Wing Length Adult: 111.1 ± 4.7     Range 93.0 - 122.0 mm, (N = 844)
Juvenile: 102.2 ± 5.7     Range 85.0 - 118.0 mm, (N = 123)
Male: 114.4 ± 3.1     Range 99.0 - 121.0 mm, (N = 179)
Female: 104.2 ± 3.1     Range 93.0 - 115.0 mm, (N = 89)
Weight Adult: 38.25 ± 3.70 Range 27.00 - 52.00 g , (N =818)
Juvenile: Insufficient Data
Male: 39.99 ± 3.63 Range 30.00 - 51.00 g , (N =163)
Female: 35.75 ± 2.86 Range 28.50 - 49.00 g , (N =84)
Seasonal: Summer 36.88 ± 3.01 (N = 129)   Autumn 37.69 ± 4.19 (N = 14)   Winter 39.17 ± 4.60 (N = 507)  
Source: British Trust for Ornithology (2005) Ringing Scheme data

Other Names

Sky Lark
Gaelic: Uiseag Welsh: Ehedydd
Danish: Sanglærke Dutch: Veldleeuwerik
Finnish: Kiuru (Leivonen) French: Alouette des champs
German: Feldlerche Hungarian: Mezei pacsirta
Icelandic: Sönglævirki Irish: Fuiseog
Italian: Allodola Norwegian: Sanglerke
Polish: Skowronek zwyczajny Portuguese: Laverca
Spanish: Alondra común Swedish: Sånglärka
Local Names:Laverock
Collective Noun:Exaltation

For More Information...

Books and Monographs:
   Donald, P. & Vickery J. (eds) 2001 The ecology and conservation of skylarks RSPB, Sandy [598.851 DON]
   Donald, P. 2004 The Skylark Poyser, London [598.851 DON]
See Also:
Find scientific papers on Google Scholar or Scirus by clicking the icon
Wikipedia entry
BirdLife species page
Recent sightings and information from BirdGuides
Details from the Patuxent Bird Identification Infocenter
Read State of the Nations Birds by Chris Mead
BOU Register of Avian Theses entry