- Melanocorypha yeltoniensis
Identification
18-20.5 cm. Male - all black, some pale feather fringes on its back, yellowish or pink bill. Female - mainly dark-blotched grey above and paler below, black underwing and legs.
Distribution
Mainly Central Asian species with Western Palearctic breeding range confined to the far east of the Region. Occurs in the northern Caspian Depression, Kazakhstan and north to the southern Urals.
Winters south-west to the northern shores of the Black Sea and the northern Caucasus. Present all year in parts of breeding range and dispersive rather than truly migratory.
Vagrants recorded in Norway, Sweden and Finland, Poland and the Czech Republic with older records from Germany and Austria, Italy, Malta, Greece and Romania, also Lebanon and Eilat, Israel. The formerly accepted British records are now deleted but as the species was recorded for the first time in Sweden in May 1993 future British records seemed likely and in June 2003 one was recorded on Anglesey in Wales.
Taxonomy
Monotypic.
Habitat
Dry grass steppe and Artemisia steppe, often close to water and usually in wetter areas than White-winged Lark.
Behaviour
Its nest is on the ground; 4-5 eggs are laid.
The diet includes seeds and insect.
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