Meet the Animals
Skylark
Where & when to see them
- Seen all year round, the skylark is spread wide throughout the UK, moving from higher areas in the winter to feed in flocks on arable land.
- Usually seen singing over open countryside particularly fields, meadows, heaths, moorland and pastures.
More about this species
- BTO
- Birds of Britain
- Norfolk Wildlife Trust
- Southend RSPB: The Decline of the Skylark
- UK Biodiversity Action Plan
- BTO: Skylarks, Cereals and Stubbles
Nesting in a cup woven amongst the grass of a flower meadow here at Pensthorpe are the skylarks and their very hairy chicks. Take a look on our webcams for yourself.
Missed something? Keep up to date with the skylark family here.
Species information
The skylark is a small streaky brown bird with a small crest on its head and a white edge to the wings. It's difficult to see when on the ground, but up in the air, it's a completely different story!
The skylark is famous for its amazing song flight. It will rise vertically in the air, often to hundreds of feet, and then hover for several minutes singing a most beautiful and clear warbling song, before fluttering back to earth.
The once familiar song of the skylark over our farmland and pastures is sadly becoming less so. Changes in agricultural practices, namely the switch from spring- to autumn-sown cereals, may have led to the recent and dramatic decline in the population. Half the population has been lost since the 1970s, possibly around three million larks. The skylark is now classified as a Red List species.
How to help
The RSPB offers good advice for helping skylarks on farmland and also what resources these birds might need.
The RSPB is looking at ways farmers can help skylarks on arable land with one of their conservation case studies. You can read the RSPB's guide to skylark conservation here.
You could join your local RSPB group to find out more about and help with the conservation of the skylark. You can also help the BTO record bird distribution throughout the UK with BirdTrack.
More Springwatch animals:
Latest Updates
The enhanced version of the site requires the Flash 8 plugin (or higher) to be installed and JavaScript to be enabled on your browser. To find out how to install a Flash plugin, go to the WebWise Flash install guide.
Wednesday 10th June
A lesson in how to confuse your parents: let them go out for food and while they're out you leave home.
Tuesday 9th June
This was the last chick to leave the nest at 11:28 this morning. The other two left at 11:05 and 11:07. Take care out there guys!
Monday 8th June
This parent has just brought some food for the chicks, who are now starting to come out of the nest. Are they thinking about leaving?
Thursday 4th June
Take a look at our skylark nest. These hairy little chicks have such amazing hairdos, which makes for perfect camouflage.
Key links
-
Pensthorpe Nature Reserve & Gardens
Host of Springwatch 2009. -
Your skylark pictures
Slideshow of your amazing skylark pictures in the Springwatch Flickr group.
© MMIX~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~42~RS~){kind=small}