Skylark
Conservation status
Least Concern
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Passeriformes Family: Alaudidae Genus: Alauda Species: A. arvensis
Binomial name
Alauda arvensis Linnaeus, 1758

Skylark

The Skylark (Alauda arvensis) is a small passerine bird species. This lark breeds across most of Europe and Asia and in the mountains of north Africa. It is mainly resident in the west of its range, but eastern populations are more migratory, moving further south in winter. Even in the milder west of its range, many birds move to lowlands and the coast in winter. Asian birds appear as vagrants in Alaska; this bird has also been introduced in Hawaii and western North America. Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ... The conservation status of a species is an indicator of the likelihood of that species continuing to survive either in the present day or the future. ... Image File history File links Status_iucn3. ... Least Concern (LC) is an IUCN category assigned to extant species or lower taxa which have been evaluated but do not qualify for any other category. ... For other uses, see Scientific classification (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Animal (disambiguation). ... Typical Classes See below Chordates (phylum Chordata) are a group of animals that includes the vertebrates, together with several closely related invertebrates. ... For other uses, see Bird (disambiguation). ... Families Many, see text A passerine is a bird of the giant order Passeriformes. ... For other uses, see Lark (disambiguation). ... Species Alauda is a genus of larks with three widespread species found across much of Europe, Asia and in the mountains of north Africa, and one endemic to the island of Razo in the Cape Verde Islands. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Carl Linnaeus, Latinized as Carolus Linnaeus, also known after his ennoblement as  , (May 13, 1707[1] – January 10, 1778), was a Swedish botanist, physician and zoologist[2] who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of nomenclature. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 753 × 600 pixelsFull resolution‎ (944 × 752 pixels, file size: 179 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Alauda arvensis Drawing by Wilhelm von Wright (1810 - 1887). ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 753 × 600 pixelsFull resolution‎ (944 × 752 pixels, file size: 179 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Alauda arvensis Drawing by Wilhelm von Wright (1810 - 1887). ... Families Many, see text A passerine is a bird of the giant order Passeriformes. ... For other uses, see Bird (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Lark (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Europe (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Asia (disambiguation). ... A world map showing the continent of Africa Africa is the worlds second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. ... Flock of Barnacle Geese during autumn migration Bird migration refers to the regular seasonal journeys undertaken by many species of birds. ... For other uses, see Alaska (disambiguation). ... This article is about the U.S. State. ... North America North America is a continent [1] in the Earths northern hemisphere and (chiefly) western hemisphere. ...

Description

The Skylark is 16 to 18 cm long. It is a bird of open farmland and heath, known throughout its range for the song of the male, which is delivered in hovering flight from heights of 50 to 100 m, when the singing bird may appear as just a dot in the sky from the ground. The song generally lasts 2 to 3 minutes, but it tends to last longer later in the season. The male has broader wings than the female. This adaptation for more efficient hovering flight may have evolved because of female Skylarks' preference for males that sing and hover for longer periods and so demonstrate that they are likely to have good overall fitness. For other uses, see Adaptation (disambiguation). ... This article is about evolution in biology. ... Fitness (often denoted in population genetics models) is a central concept in evolutionary theory. ...

Like most other larks, the Skylark is a rather dull-looking species on the ground, being mainly brown above and paler below. It has a short blunt crest on the head, which can be raised and lowered. In flight it shows a short tail and short broad wings. The tail and the rear edge of the wings are edged with white, which are visible when the bird is flying away, but not if it is heading towards the observer. The Skylark has sturdy legs and spends much time on the ground foraging for seeds, supplemented with insects in the breeding season. Orders Subclass Apterygota Archaeognatha (bristletails) Thysanura (silverfish) Subclass Pterygota Infraclass Paleoptera (Probably paraphyletic) Ephemeroptera (mayflies) Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) Infraclass Neoptera Superorder Exopterygota Grylloblattodea (ice-crawlers) Mantophasmatodea (gladiators) Plecoptera (stoneflies) Embioptera (webspinners) Zoraptera (angel insects) Dermaptera (earwigs) Orthoptera (grasshoppers, etc) Phasmatodea (stick insects) Blattodea (cockroaches) Isoptera (termites) Mantodea (mantids) Psocoptera...

The Skylark makes a grass nest on the ground, hidden amongst vegetation. Generally the nests are very difficult to find. 3 to 6 eggs are laid in June. A second or third brood may be started later in the year. The eggs are yellow/white with brownish/purple spots mainly at the large end. For other uses, see Nest (disambiguation). ... In most birds and reptiles, an egg (Latin ovum) is the zygote, resulting from fertilization of the ovum. ...

The effects of agriculture

In the UK, 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. There are now only 10% of the numbers that were present 30 years ago. The RSPB have shown that this massive decline is mainly due to changes in farming practices and only partly due to pesticides. In the past cereals were planted in the spring, grown through the summer and harvested in the early autumn. Cereals are now planted in the autumn, grown through the winter and are harvested in the early summer. The winter grown fields are much too dense in summer for the Skylark to be able to walk and run between the wheat stems to find its food. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is Europes largest wildlife conservation charity. ... Farming, ploughing rice paddy, in Indonesia Agriculture is the process of producing food, feed, fiber and other desired products by cultivation of certain plants and the raising of domesticated animals (livestock). ... Grain redirects here. ... Species T. aestivum T. boeoticum T. dicoccoides T. dicoccon T. durum T. monococcum T. spelta T. sphaerococcum T. timopheevii References:   ITIS 42236 2002-09-22 Wheat Wheat For the indie rock group, see Wheat (band). ...

Farmers are now encouraged and paid to maintain biodiversity and they can get a few points (toward DEFRAs Entry Level Stewardship financial rewards) for improving the habitat for Skylarks. For other uses, see Farmer (disambiguation). ... Rainforests are among the most biodiverse ecosystems on earth Biodiversity is the variation of taxonomic life forms within a given ecosystem, biome or for the entire Earth. ... The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is the United Kingdom government department responsible for environmental protection, food production and standards, agriculture, fisheries and rural communities. ... Habitat (which is Latin for it inhabits) is the place where a particular species live and grow. ...

The RSPB's research, over a 6 year period, of winter-planted wheat fields has shown that suitable nesting areas for 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. This is repeated in several areas within the same field to make about 2 skylark plots per hectare. Subsequent spraying and fertilizing can be continuous over the entire field. DEFRA suggests that 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. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is Europes largest wildlife conservation charity. ... A telegraph post, telegraph pole or telephone pole is a post or pole upon which telephone network equipment is situated. ...

When the crop grows, the Skylark plots (areas without crop seeds) become areas of low vegetation where Skylarks can easily hunt insects, and can build their well camouflaged ground nests. These areas of low vegetation are just right for Skylarks, but the wheat in the rest of the field becomes too closely packed and too tall for the bird to seek food. At the RSPB's research farm in Cambridgeshire Skylark numbers have increased threefold (from 10 pairs to 30 pairs) over 6 years. Fields where Skylarks were seen the year before (or near by) would be obvious good sites for Skylark plots. Farmers have reported that skylark plots are easy to make and the RSPB hope that this simple effective technique can be copied nationwide. Orders Subclass Apterygota Symphypleona - globular springtails Subclass Archaeognatha (jumping bristletails) Subclass Dicondylia Monura - extinct Thysanura (common bristletails) Subclass Pterygota Diaphanopteroidea - extinct Palaeodictyoptera - extinct Megasecoptera - extinct Archodonata - extinct Ephemeroptera (mayflies) Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) Infraclass Neoptera Blattodea (cockroaches) Mantodea (mantids) Isoptera (termites) Zoraptera Grylloblattodea Dermaptera (earwigs) Plecoptera (stoneflies) Orthoptera (grasshoppers, crickets... Species T. aestivum T. boeoticum T. dicoccoides T. dicoccon T. durum T. monococcum T. spelta T. sphaerococcum T. timopheevii References:   ITIS 42236 2002-09-22 Wheat Wheat For the indie rock group, see Wheat (band). ... Cambridgeshire (abbreviated Cambs) is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west. ...

Skylark in culture

A traditional collective noun for skylarks is an "exaltation". Although the OED describes this usage as "fanciful", it traces it back to a quotation from John Lydgate dating from about 1430. In linguistics, a collective noun is a word used to define a group of objects, where objects can be people, animals, inanimate things, concepts, or other things. ... The Oxford English Dictionary print set The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) is a dictionary published by the Oxford University Press (OUP), and is the most successful dictionary of the English language, (not to be confused with the one-volume Oxford Dictionary of English, formerly New Oxford Dictionary of English, of... John Lydgate (1370?-1451?); Monk and poet, born in Lidgate, Suffolk, England. ...

The skylark has featured in many songs, poems and other works of literature and art. This article is about the art form. ...

• Indiana native Hoagy Carmichael wrote the famous tune "Skylark" in 1942. The lyric is by Johnny Mercer, originally from Savannah, Georgia.
• Percy Bysshe Shelley's well known poem "To a Skylark" begins:

Hail to thee, blithe spirit!

Bird thou never wert!

• The poem "The Lark Ascending" of 112 lines by George Meredith inspired the orchestral music also called "The Lark Ascending" by Ralph Vaughan Williams.

• In the Fleetwood Mac song "Rhiannon", Stevie Nicks sings enigmatically about the title character that:

She rules her life like a fine skylark

• The song "Alouette" is a song about the plucking of a Skylark. Alouette being French for Skylark

• The Skylark was a popular car for Buick from 1954 until 1998.

• "Skylarking" is one of roots reggae singer Horace Andy's most famous songs.

Hoagland Howard Hoagy Carmichael (November 22, 1899 – December 27, 1981) was an American composer, pianist, singer, actor, and bandleader. ... Skylark Slylark is an American popular song with lyrics by Johnny Mercer and music by Hoagy Carmichael, published in 1942. ... Percy Bysshe Shelley (August 4, 1792 – July 8, 1822; pronounced ) was one of the major English Romantic poets and is widely considered to be among the finest lyric poets of the English language. ... This page is a candidate to be moved to Wikisource. ... George Meredith, OM (February 12, 1828 – May 18, 1909) was an English novelist and poet. ... The Lark Ascending is a musical piece written by the famous British composer Ralph Vaughan Williams in 1914. ... A statue of Ralph Vaughan Williams in Dorking. ... This article is about the band. ... For the Stevie Nicks/Fleetwood Mac song, see Rhiannon (Will You Ever Win). ... Stephanie Lynn Stevie Nicks (born May 26, 1948) is an American singer and songwriter, best known for her work with Fleetwood Mac and a long solo career, which collectively have produced over twenty Top 350 hits. ... Buick is a brand of automobile built in the United States, Canada, China and in Spain by General Motors Corporation. ... Roots reggae is a spiritual Rastafari subgenre of reggae music with lyrics that often include praise for Jah Ras Tafari Makonnen, Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia; the Emperor of Ethiopia. ... Horace Andy (born Horace Hinds, 19 February 1951 in Kingston, Jamaica), is a legendary Roots reggae singer, notable for such tracks as Government Land, You Are My Angel, Skylarking and a version of Aint no sunshine. Andy made his earliest recordings in the late 1960s, at Coxsone Dodds...

References

• BirdLife International (2004). Alauda arvensis. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 12 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
• Donald, Paul F. (2004). The Skylark. Poyser, London. ISBN 0-7136-6568-8. 

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (also known as the IUCN Red List and Red Data List), created in 1963, is the worlds most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of plant and animal species and can be found here. ... The World Conservation Union or International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) is an international organization dedicated to natural resource conservation. ...

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Skylark

• Skylark on BBC website - includes a photograph of a skylark plot
• A nature feature "The Lark Ascending" broadcast June 2006 on BBC radio 4 - website includes photograph of a skylark plot
• Sustainable Arable Farming for an Improved Environment (SAFFIE) website
• Skylark page on SAFFIE website
• pdf download about skylark conservation on SAFFIE website - includes a photograph of a skylark plot
• Skylark plots, the skylark, and the the RSPB's Volunteer & Farmer Alliance on RSPB website
• Skylark ecology on RSPB website