(Some sections expanded. References) |
(id, habitat) |
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Line 8: | Line 8: | ||
'''Flight''' outline shows broad rounded wings and a square tail. | '''Flight''' outline shows broad rounded wings and a square tail. | ||
====Similar Species==== | ====Similar Species==== | ||
− | [[Eurasian Skylark]] | + | [[Eurasian Skylark]] and in [[Iberia]] and [[Africa]] [[Thekla Lark]] |
==Distribution== | ==Distribution== | ||
− | [[Europe]] from [[Portugal]] to northeast [[China]] and eastern [[India]]; [[Africa]] to [[Niger]]. | + | [[Europe]] and [[Asia]] from [[Portugal]] to northeast [[China]] and eastern [[India]]; [[Africa]] to [[Niger]]. |
Rare vagrant to the [[British Isles]]. | Rare vagrant to the [[British Isles]]. | ||
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==Habitat== | ==Habitat== | ||
Open, dry country and cultivated land. Breeds on railway lines, harbours and industrial sites. | Open, dry country and cultivated land. Breeds on railway lines, harbours and industrial sites. | ||
+ | *Specifically for Iberia: | ||
+ | **Fine soils or sand | ||
+ | **Sand dunes, Dry saltmarsh edges and humanised habitats like farmland, dusty car parks and tracks. | ||
+ | **Percentage of woody vegetation cover usually very low and including substantial amount of bare ground. Can be near trees, these often Olive, Figs, Citrus, Carob or Almond. | ||
+ | **Often occurring in small niches of suitable habitats | ||
==Behaviour== | ==Behaviour== | ||
Shuffling gait when feeding. | Shuffling gait when feeding. | ||
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#{{Ref-Clements6thDec08}}#Collins Field Guide 5th Edition | #{{Ref-Clements6thDec08}}#Collins Field Guide 5th Edition | ||
#Collins Bird Guide ISBN 0 00 219728 6 | #Collins Bird Guide ISBN 0 00 219728 6 | ||
+ | #[http://birdforum.net/showthread.php?p=2059438 Birdforum thread] on habitat | ||
#Wikipedia | #Wikipedia | ||
{{ref}} | {{ref}} |
Revision as of 20:26, 13 February 2011
- Galerida cristata
Identification
- Dark streaked grey upperparts
- White underparts
- Long spiky erectile crest
- Reddish underwings
Flight outline shows broad rounded wings and a square tail.
Similar Species
Eurasian Skylark and in Iberia and Africa Thekla Lark
Distribution
Europe and Asia from Portugal to northeast China and eastern India; Africa to Niger.
Rare vagrant to the British Isles.
Taxonomy
There are 37 subspecies.
Subspecies[1]
- G. c. cristata: Central Europe to Slovenia, Belarus, northern Hungary, northern Ukraine
- G. c. pallida: Iberian Peninsula
- G. c. neumanni: Italy (Toscana south to Rome area)
- G. c. apuliae: Southern peninsular Italy and Sicily
- G. c. tenuirostris: Eastern Hungary and Romania to southern Russia and western Kazakhstan
- G. c. meridionalis: Southern Yugoslavia to mainland Greece, Ionian Islands, Crete and western Turkey
- G. c. caucasica: Eastern [[Aegean Islands, northern Turkey, southern Caucasus and western Transcaucasia
- G. c. subtaurica: Central Turkey to southern Transcaucasia, north-western Iran, western Turkmenistan and eastern Iraq
- G. c. cypriaca: Kárpathos, Rhodes and Cyprus
- G. c. zion: Southern Turkey, Syria, eastern Lebanon, and eastern Israel (south to Jerusalem)
- G. c. cinnamomina: Western Lebanon (west from Beirut) and north-western Israel (Mount Carmel and Haifa)
- G. c. magna: Southern Kazakhstan to eastern Mongolia and northern China (Inner Mongolia)
- G. c. leautungensis: Manchuria and north-eastern China
- G. c. coreensis: Korea
- G. c. iwanowi: Central Turkmenistan to Iran, Tadjikistan, Afghanistan and north-western Pakistan
- G. c. lynesi: Northern Kashmir (Gilgit Valley)
- G. c. kleinschmidti: North-western Morocco (east to Rif Mountains and south to Middle Atlas)
- G. c. riggenbachi: Western Morocco (Casablanca to Sous Valley)
- G. c. carthaginis: Coastal north-eastern Morocco to northern Tunisia (east to Sousse)
- G. c. randoni: Hauts Plateaux of eastern Morocco and north-western Algeria
- G. c. macrorhyncha : Southern Morocco and north-western Algeria south of Atlas Saharien to west-central Mauritania
- G. c. balsaci: Coastal Mauritania
- G. c. arenicola: North-eastern Algerian Sahara to southern Tunisia and north-western Libya
- G. c. helenae: South-eastern Algeria and immediately adjacent south-western Libya
- G. c. festae: Coastal north-eastern Libya (Benghazi to Tobruq)
- G. c. brachyura: North-eastern Libya to coastal northern Egypt, northern Sinai, northern Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq
- G. c. nigricans: Northern Egypt (Nile Delta)
- G. c. maculata: Egypt (Nile Valley from Cairo to Aswan and El Faiyum)
- G. c. halfae: Egypt (Nile Valley south of Aswan) to extreme northern Sudan (Wadi Halfa)
- G. c. senegallensis: Southern Mauritania, Senegambia and Guinea-Bissau to Niger
- G. c. jordansi: Northern Niger (Aïr Mountains)
- G. c. alexanderi (zalingei): Northern Nigeria to western Sudan and north-eastern Zaire
- G. c. isabellina: Central Sudan (Kordofan to Nile Valley)
- G. c. altirostris: Eastern Sudan (east of Nile Valley) and Eritrea
- G. c. somaliensis: Northern Somalia, southern Ethiopia and northern Kenya
- G. c. tardinata: Southern Arabia
- G. c. chendoola: Foothills of southern Kashmir to east Pakistan, western and northern India and southern Nepal
Habitat
Open, dry country and cultivated land. Breeds on railway lines, harbours and industrial sites.
- Specifically for Iberia:
- Fine soils or sand
- Sand dunes, Dry saltmarsh edges and humanised habitats like farmland, dusty car parks and tracks.
- Percentage of woody vegetation cover usually very low and including substantial amount of bare ground. Can be near trees, these often Olive, Figs, Citrus, Carob or Almond.
- Often occurring in small niches of suitable habitats
Behaviour
Shuffling gait when feeding.
Flight
Rather 'heavy' and flapping action with marked undulations.
Breeding
It is a ground nester; 2-3 eggs are laid.
Diet
The diet includes the seeds of weeds and insects.
Vocalisation
The long flight song can be difficult to separate from Thekla Lark
<flashmp3>Galerida cristata (song).mp3</flashmp3>
Listen in an external program
References
- Clements, JF. 2008. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2008. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.
- Collins Field Guide 5th Edition
- Collins Bird Guide ISBN 0 00 219728 6
- Birdforum thread on habitat
- Wikipedia
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Crested Lark. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 4 May 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Crested_Lark
External Links