White-winged lark
Kingdom
Phylum
Class
Family
Genus
SPECIES
Alauda leucoptera

The white-winged lark (Alauda leucoptera ) is a species of lark found from southern Ukraine through Kazakhstan to south-central Russia. It is partially migratory, with birds tending to move south in winter. The southernmost birds are mainly resident. It is a very rare vagrant to western Europe.

Appearance

This lark with flashing white wing patches is large and robust, usually 17–19 cm in length, with a wingspan of 35 cm. Both sexes weigh about 44 g. In flight, it is unmistakable due to its striking wing pattern: black outer flight feathers, white inner flight feathers, and the rest of the wing chestnut. Its body is dark-streaked grey above and whitish below. The adult male has a chestnut crown, but the sexes are otherwise similar.

White-winged lark habitat map
White-winged lark
Attribution-ShareAlike License

Habits and Lifestyle

The white-winged lark lives in dry, open steppe and plains. It nests on the ground, laying three to eight eggs per clutch. Its diet consists of seeds, and insects during the breeding season. It is gregarious during the winter.

Lifestyle
Seasonal behavior
Bird's call

Population

Population threats

Habitat destruction due to ploughing is one of the main threats to the white-winged lark.

Population number

Although its population has declined significantly, it is still relatively common, and is not considered to be at risk.

References

1. White-winged lark Wikipedia article - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White-winged_lark
2. White-winged lark on The IUCN Red List site - https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22717298/131975551
3. Xeno-canto bird call - https://xeno-canto.org/236707

More Fascinating Animals to Learn About