Alauda arvensis
Silhouette: Gossipguy and T. Michael Keesey · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
The Eurasian skylark (Alauda arvensis), commonly referred to in Europe as the lark, is a passerine bird in the lark family, Alaudidae. It is a widespread species found across Europe and the Palearctic with introduced populations in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and on the Hawaiian Islands. It is a bird of open farmland and heath, known for the song of the male, which is delivered in hovering flight from heights of 50 to 100 metres (160 to 330 ft). The sexes are alike. It is streaked greyish-brown above and on the breast and has a buff-white belly.
The female Eurasian skylark builds an open nest in a shallow depression on open ground well away from trees, bushes and hedges. She lays three to five eggs which she incubates for around 11 days. The chicks are fed by both parents but leave the nest after eight to ten days, well before they can fly. They scatter and hide in the vegetation but continue to be fed by the parents until they can fly at 18 to 20 days of age. Nests are subject to high predation rates by larger birds and small mammals. The parents can have several broods in a single season.
The Eurasian skylark was described by the Swedish naturalist... Wikipedia →
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Beijing Wildlife Park | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 2 | Beijing Zoo | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 3 | Inokashira Park Zoo | 🇯🇵 Japan | |
| 4 | Featherdale Sydney Wildlife Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Skylark sighting in Auckland on a given day, based on 729 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 41st most-seen of the 93 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.
October to December
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Skylark in Auckland on a given day, against under 5% in February, the lowest month.
Between noon and 3 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Skylark sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 57 cities where we can rate Skylark sightings, Auckland ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Berlin (Germany, about 10%).
Same order: Passeriformes
The closest relatives of the Skylark that you can see in Auckland (order Passeriformes, Perching Birds) are House Sparrow (about 90%), Eurasian Blackbird (about 90%) and Tūī (about 70%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Skylark is recorded against all the birds logged in Auckland (729 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
