The white-winged lark (''Alauda leucoptera'') is a species of

lark Larks are passerine birds of the family Alaudidae. Larks have a cosmopolitan distribution with the largest number of species occurring in Africa. Only a single species, the horned lark, occurs in North America, and only Horsfield's bush lark occu ...

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.

Taxonomy and systematics

The current genus name is from the Latin for lark. The specific ''leucoptera'' means "white-winged", from ''leukos'', "white", and ''pteron'', "wing". Formerly, the white-winged lark was classified as belonging to the genus ''

Melanocorypha ''Melanocorypha'' is a small genus of birds in the lark family. The current genus name, ''Melanocorypha'' is from Ancient Greek ''melas'', "black", and ''koruphos'' a term used by ancient writer for a now unknown bird, but here confused with ''k ...

'' until moved to ''Alauda'' in 2014.

Description

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.

Vocalisations

Its song is a more melodious version of the

Eurasian skylark The Eurasian skylark (''Alauda arvensis'') is a passerine bird in the lark family, Alaudidae. It is a widespread species found across Europe and the Palearctic with introduced populations in New Zealand, Australia and on the Hawaiian Islands. ...

's.

Behaviour and ecology

The white-winged lark lives in dry, open

steppe In physical geography, a steppe () is an ecoregion characterized by grassland plains without trees apart from those near rivers and lakes. Steppe biomes may include: * the montane grasslands and shrublands biome * the temperate grasslands, ...

and

plain In geography, a plain is a flat expanse of land that generally does not change much in elevation, and is primarily treeless. Plains occur as lowlands along valleys or at the base of mountains, as coastal plains, and as plateaus or uplands ...

s. It nests on the ground, laying three to eight

eggs Humans and human ancestors have scavenged and eaten animal eggs for millions of years. Humans in Southeast Asia had domesticated chickens and harvested their eggs for food by 1,500 BCE. The most widely consumed eggs are those of fowl, especial ...

per clutch. Its diet consists of

seeds A seed is an embryonic plant enclosed in a protective outer covering, along with a food reserve. The formation of the seed is a part of the process of reproduction in seed plants, the spermatophytes, including the gymnosperm and angiosperm pl ...

, and insects during the breeding season. It is gregarious during the winter.

Threats

Habitat destruction Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...

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

Status

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

References

External links

BirdFacts
- British Trust for Ornithology {{Taxonbar, from=Q1137284

white-winged lark 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 r ...

Birds of Europe Birds of Central Asia