Birds and Birding's Guide to:
Watching THE SPARROW-LIKE BIRDS
THE SONG BIRDS
THE LARKS
Wood Lark
Very similar to the Skylarks and formerly included with them is the Wood Lark (Lullula arborea) of Europe and western Asia. The sole tenant of its genus, it is simply a”lesser Skylark, with a shorter tail in proportion to its body, and no apparent difference in color, except that the spots on the breast and the pale streak over the eye are more conspicuous.”It also frequents much the same situations, being, however, partial to sandy localities and heaths, as well as wooded parks, the edges of woods and grassy fields, where the trees and hedges are scattered about. It is a lively but rather shy bird, and notwithstanding its name spends by far the larger portion of its time on the ground, where it exclusively secures its food of seeds and insects. It does, however, perch on trees and bushes, often having a favorite perch which it frequents day after day while the young are being reared. It not infrequently sings from a perch, or from it launches into the air to ascend in spirals to a considerable height, giving forth a continuous stream of melody. Its song is so similar to that of the Skylark that it is often mistaken for that bird, but it is perhaps not so powerful, though sweeter and more flute-like in quality. It is nowhere so abundant as the Skylark, in many parts of its range, as for instance in the British Isles, being very locally distributed; nor is it so migratory, as it only moves slightly to the southward. In winter they collect in small parties during the severe weather, but on the advent of mild days these flocks break up and re-form on the return of cold. The Wood Lark nests on the ground, placing its frail structure in a slight hollow by the side of a bush, or tussock of grass. The four or five eggs are whitish with numerous spots of reddish brown. It is sometimes kept as a cage bird, though not so generally as its relative.
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