Latin name - Alauda arvensis

Known for its distinctive warbling song, usually delivered while hovering high in the sky, the Skylark is a small streaky brown bird. Smaller than a starling, it has a small crest which is raised when the bird is excited or alarmed. The song flight often takes place after it flies vertically up into the air. It is our most common lark with brown upperparts streaked with black and buff/white underparts. The legs are yellowish-brown, the bill is horn coloured and it has white outer tail feathers. It can be seen everywhere in the United Kingdom but likes open countryside including lowland farmland, upland moorland and coastal cliffs. Males and females are similar while juveniles have pale fringes to most of their feathers. They eat seeds and insects and nest on the ground in a small cup made from grass and hair and the eggs incubate in the incredibly short time of just 11 days.