Black lark

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Black lark
Stamps of Kazakhstan, 2013-65.jpg

Black Lark ( Melanocorypha yeltoniensis )

Systematics
Order : Passerines (Passeriformes)
Subordination : Songbirds (passeri)
Superfamily : Sylvioidea
Family : Larks (Alaudidae)
Genre : Melanocorypha
Type : Black lark
Scientific name
Melanocorypha yeltoniensis
( Forster , 1767)

The black lark ( Melanocorypha yeltoniensis ) is a species of bird in the lark family . No subspecies are distinguished. In Central Europe, the black lark is a rare errant.

description

With a body length of 19 to 21 cm, the black lark is almost the size of a starling . Males weigh between 40 and 53 g. Females are a bit lighter and weigh between about 37 and 48 grams. The beak is strong and resembles that of a gray bunting . It is pale yellowish in color with a dark tip. Feet and legs are blackish. The iris is dark brown. A feature that distinguishes this species from other larks in all clothing is the black or soot-brown under wing-coverts, which clearly stand out from the wings. The sexual dimorphism is very pronounced.

The plumage of adult males is predominantly black. In the freshly moulted plumage, however, they appear lightly scaled from autumn onwards due to the broad, yellowish or brownish-beige feather edges on the upper side and flanks. Towards the spring, the seams wear out and are only narrow or hardly present, so that the bird appears almost black.

Adult females resemble calender larks of the subspecies birnaculata , but are rather pale gray on top. Black patches on the chest are missing. The plumage on the upper side is dark brown, but looks rather spotty gray-brown due to beige hems. On the forehead, crown and rump, the dark feather centers are almost completely covered so that they appear lighter. The ear covers are light yellowish brown. The plumage of the upper wing is dark brown, the wings are also narrow, but the umbrella feathers and wing covers are broadly lined with light.

Distribution area

The distribution area of ​​the black lark extends from the lower Volga to Central Asia. In Europe, it only breeds in Russia. The population there is estimated at 4,000 to 7,000 breeding pairs. Adult males usually stay in the breeding area even in winter. Fledglings and adult females migrate to the southwest.

Way of life

The food of the black lark in summer consists mainly of insects. In winter, however, it mainly lives on seeds. In spring it also picks up green parts of the plant.

The male very often sings on raised ground. In singing flight it draws relatively tight circles. Outside the breeding season, the sexes often live in separate groups.

Black larks enter into a monogamous seasonal marriage and usually breed twice a year. The nest is hidden in grass bulbs in the grass steppe near water. Only the female builds. On the lower Volga, the laying time falls from the end of March to mid-May. The last clutches were found in Kazakhstan in August. The clutch usually consists of four to five eggs. They have a spindle-shaped shape and are glossy pale blue or olive green with brownish or olive colored spots. The incubation period is fifteen to sixteen days. Only the female parent bird breeds. Both parent birds are involved in feeding the nestlings. The young birds leave the nest when they are around ten days old. At this point you are still unable to fly.

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Glutz von Blotzheim, p. 104f, see literature
  2. ↑ Bauer et al., P. 127
  3. ↑ Bauer et al., P. 128

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