Tory Island, Co.Donegal
28-10-2019
[order] Passeriformes | [family] Alaudidae | [latin] Calandrella brachydactyla | [UK] Short-Toed Lark | [FR] Alouette calandrelle | [DE] Kurzzehenlerche | [ES] Terrera común | [IT] Calandrella | [NL] Kortteenleeuwerik
Measurements
spanwidth min.: 25 cm
spanwidth max.: 30 cm
size min.: 13 cm
size max.: 14 cm
Breeding
incubation min.: 13 days
incubation max.: 14 days
fledging min.: 12 days
fledging max.: 13 days
broods 2
eggs min.: 3
eggs max.: 5
Physical characteristics
Small lark, with shorter bill, no crest and rather more compact form. Pale, cryptic coloration and lacking streaks on chest. Within west Palearctic, color variable with western birds essentially warm sandy buff above and eastern ones pale grey-ochre. Upperparts have typical lark pattern. Underparts usually little-marked except for buff breast and sometimes prominent small dark patch at shoulder. Tertials almost overlap tips of primaries, unlike Lesser Short-toed Lark. Sexes similar, no seasonal variation.
Habitat
Dry areas with sparse and low vegetation cover, on level or undulating terrain, with sandy or stony soils. Breeds mostly in fallow lands in Mediterranean Basin, but also dry pastures, tobacco fields, dirt tracks and olive groves; in Russia also more densely covered pastures, but absent in true steppe; sometimes in semi-arid areas, but avoids true desert. Mainly lowlands; to 1500 m in Tunisia. Occurs in semi-arid areas and farmland in non-breeding areas.
Other details
This lark has a wide distribution from the Mediterranean regions of Europe and North Africa to central Asia. Apart from its Greek populations, which are partly sedentary, it is a migratory bird wintering in the Sahel region of Africa. The total European population is estimated at 2.3-3.6 millions of breeding pairs, 97% of which inhabit the Iberian Peninsula. Everywhere this species is undergoing a decline following habitat loss by agricultural intensification
Feeding
Mainly invertebrates during spring, also seeds and green parts of plants in other seasons. Invertebrate food very diverse, variable among areas, chiefly beetles (Coleoptera), ants, bugs (Hemiptera) and snails; seeds mostly of weedy forbs (Polygonum, Amaranthus), also cereal grain. Nestlings fed solely with invertebrates; fledglings take more green material than do adults. Forages on ground, singly or in small or large flocks. Searches slowly, picks items from ground surface.
Conservation
This species has a large range, with an estimated global Extent of Occurrence of 10,000,000 km². It has a large global population, including an estimated 15,000,000-28,000,000 individuals in Europe (BirdLife International in prep.). Global population trends have not been quantified, but the species is not believed to approach the thresholds for the population decline criterion of the IUCN Red List (i.e. declining more than 30% in ten years or three generations). For these reasons, the species is evaluated as Least Concern. [conservation status from birdlife.org]
Breeding
Lays in May-July in South West Europe and from mid-April in South East Europe. From early April in North Africa and Israel. Male song flight typically at heights of about 30-50 meter, bouncing in a circling but rather meandering path, for about 3-5 minutes each flight. Nest built by female, of grasses, rootlets and similar vegetation, lined with softer material, internal diameter 6 cm, placed in shallow scrape on ground, usually beside shrub or grass tuft, often with small rampart of sticks or stones. Two broods per season. Clutch size varies from 2-5 eggs, rarely 6, replacement laid if first clutch lost. incubation by female alone, beginning with last egg, period 11-13 days; chicks fed and cared for by both sexes, nestling period 9-12 days, mostly 8-10 days, fledging 12-15 days; dependence period of fledglings 1-3 weeks, shorter for first broods. Nest losses often very high, up to c. 80%; snakes a major predator, and some nests also destroyed by trampling by livestock. First breeding at 1 year.
Migration
Mostly migratory; only partially migratory in South of Palearctic range and sedentary in Transcaucasia. Those from West & Central parts of range winter mainly in sub-Saharan Africa and Red Sea Basin, also in South West Asia; East populations migrate mostly to South & South East parts of Asia. Highly gregarious on wintering grounds, occurring in flocks of hundreds or thousands. Autumn departure from mid-August through to September/October, passage on broad front. Return begins late January, but migration later in East, and arrival on breeding grounds in North of range not until April-May. Generally common on passage in North Africa, abundant in Egypt, and common to fairly common in Middle East and Arabian Peninsula. in South Israel, up to 14,000 per day recorded in autumn and flock of circa 4000 in April. Vagrants regularly West to Scandinavia and British Isles, and recorded on Madeira and Canary Islands, also North to Iceland and regularly Finland; rare but annual in Japan.
