Eurasian skylark
alauda arvensis latin

The Eurasian Skylark makes a grass nest on the ground, hidden amongst vegetation.

A collective noun for Eurasian Skylarks is an "exaltation".

Like most other larks, the Eurasian Skylark is a rather dull-looking species on the ground, being mainly brown above and paler below.

Fields where Eurasian Skylarks were seen the year before (or nearby) would be obvious good sites for Skylark plots.

The Eurasian Skylark (Alauda arvensis) is a small passerine bird species.

The Eurasian Skylark has sturdy legs and spends much time on the ground foraging for seeds, supplemented with insects in the breeding season.

English farmers are now encouraged and paid to maintain and create biodiversity for improving the habitat for Eurasian Skylarks.

The winter grown fields are much too dense in summer for the Eurasian Skylark to be able to walk and run between the wheat stems to find its food.

St Aidan's is home to many species of bird including the bittern, great crested grebe, little owl, marsh harrier, and Eurasian Skylark.

In the UK, Eurasian Skylark numbers have declined over the last 30 years, as determined by the Common Bird Census started in the early 1960s by The British Trust for Ornithology.

DEFRA suggests that Eurasian Skylark plots should not be nearer than 24 m to the perimeter of the field, should not be near to telegraph poles, and should not be enclosed by trees!

This adaptation for more efficient hovering flight may have evolved because of female Eurasian Skylarks' preference for males that sing and hover for longer periods and so demonstrate that they are likely to have good overall fitness.

When the crop grows, the Eurasian Skylark plots (areas without crop seeds) become areas of low vegetation where Eurasian Skylarks can easily hunt insects, and can build their well camouflaged ground nests.

The RSPB's research, over a six-year period, of winter-planted wheat fields has shown that suitable nesting areas for Eurasian Skylarks can be made by turning the seeding machine off (or lifting the drill) for a 5 to 10 metres stretch as the tractor goes over the ground to briefly stop the seeds being sown.

The Eurasian Skylark (Alauda arvensis) is a small passerine bird species.

Skylark (Alauda arvensis)