Skip to main content

Calandra Lark

Melanocorypha calandra
Meet the Calandra Lark, a bulky member of the Lark family that can be found in different parts of Europe and Asia, depending on the subspecies and time of year. Some of the populations are residents, such as those in Western Europe that live near the Mediterranean year round. Others, like those farther east in Russia, will migrate north and south with the seasons. They live in open grassland habitats where they feed on grasses and seeds.

You can identify a Calandra Lark by its robust size, large bills,  and white throat with large black spot. They are also distinct when viewed from below while flying-- they have dark wings with small white contrasting spots. Males and females look alike, though the female has less pronounced black spots on the throat.

Larks are known for their songs, and this Lark is no exception. In spring the males produce very loud songs that contain both beautiful notes, as well as very harsh ones. They also have the ability to mimic the songs of other birds!

Calandra Larks are monogamous. Pairs build their nests on the ground, but not out in the open. They often seclude themselves with small plants and bushes. 4-5 eggs are laid at a time, and they take 2 weeks to incubate. After hatching, around 20 days go by before the young Larks are able to fly. This quick incubation/fledging period allows the parents to produce two broods per season.
IUCN Status : Least Concern
Location : Europe and Asia
Size : Length up to 8in (20cm)
Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Aves -- Order : Passeriformes
Family : Alaudidae -- Genus : Melanocorypha -- Species : M. calandra

Labels

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Bornean Orangutan

The Bornean Orangutan is one of two extant Orangutan species in the world. It is the third largest primate (after Gorillas) and is the largest primarily tree-dwelling animal in the world. Males are substantially larger than females, and average at around 165lbs. Bornean Orangutans are largely solitary. A handful might live within a small range but they will seldom interact with one another. Males and females only meet up to breed, which happens only once every several years. A young Orangutan will stay with it's mother for about five years, and the females tend to go about eight years between births. That is the longest interim period of any animal! Sadly, the Bornean Orangutans are in a lot of trouble. They need large forests in order to thrive, and deforestation and habitat degradation has left many homeless. They are also hunted for meat and for traditional medicines. Conservation areas are being established to help these guys in the wild, and it is believed that there are a...
59 comments
Read more

Four!

For anyone who was counting, yesterday was our birthday-- four years! Four years filled with animals from A to Z, more than 1,100 of them! I can't thank my readers enough, it's been wonderful! And in celebration of that milestone... I'm taking a break. Hopefully not forever, but for a little bit at least. In the mean time I plan on getting a new layout out, along with some updates to some of the older articles. I'll post updates here and on the Facebook page, I'm also brainstorming some new animal-related projects, so keep an eye out! Thanks again for four awesome years!
18 comments
Read more

Banggai Cardinalfish

Pterapogon kauderni The Banggai Cardinalfish is a small tropical fish that is becoming very rare in the wild, even though it has been successfully bred in captivity. You will only find these small, 3in long fish around the Banggai Islands of Indonesia. They are the only members of their genus, and you can tell them apart from other Cardinalfish by their three-striped bodies, tasseled first dorsal fin, long second dorsal, and their deep-forked tail fins. Banggai Cardinalfish are diurnal and live in small groups of about a dozen members. They are opportunistic feeders who dine on whatever smaller plants and animals they can find. Courtship and mating is pretty interesting for these guys-- females are the ones who initiate. They isolate a male and the pair will perform various courtship rituals before spawning. The Cardinalfish are mouthbrooders, which means that the males take the fertilized eggs (up to 90 of them) into their mouths and incubate them for up to 30 days. During t...
37 comments
Read more