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Galerida cristata

Crested lark

Habitus (CC BY-SA 4.0) Artemy Voikhansky

Short Description

The crested lark is rather stocky with an inconspicuous grey-brown striped plumage. Its underparts are lighter, the wings a bit more reddish and the outer margins of the tail feathers a rusty red. Its characteristic feature is the distinctive crest of feathers. Crested larks can be identified by their undulating flight pattern.

Features

Crested lark

Galerida cristata

  • crest of feathers

Gesang

Krey (CC BY-SA 3.0)

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Similar species

Skylark

Alauda arvensis
In skylarks, the crest is not visible when lowered. In addition, the tail margins and the rear edge of the wings are edged with white. Male skylarks are renowned for their display flight, soaring up quickly, hovering, then plummeting downwards, while singing.

Woodlark

Lullula arborea
Woodlarks can be recognised by the white tips of their tails and the place wing band. Their crests, too, are not always visible.
Habitus (CC BY-SA 3.0) Siddheshp

In the city

The crested lark prefers sandy, dry areas. As a synanthropic bird, it is frequently found in urban substitute habitats such as development areas, industrial wastelands, uncultivated land and along railway tracks.

Fun Facts

  • Crested larks are very rare in Germany and in Berlin and are threatened with extinction. One of the reasons for this is the increasing sealing of soils.

  • Crested larks used to be kept as pet birds because of their beautiful song.

  • Crested larks generally hibernate in Germany. Some populations may migrate to southern Europe between October and March.

  • Endangerment level Germany: threatened with extinction
Habitus (CC BY-SA 4.0) מינוזיג

Sources

Habitus , Artemy Voikhansky, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Crested_lark_singing.jpg

Habitus , Siddheshp, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Crested_Lark_at_Tembavli.jpg

Habitus , מינוזיג, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Galerida_cristata_(Crested_lark_).jpg

Witt, K. & Steiof, K. (2013) Rote Liste und Liste der Brutvögel von Berlin, 3. version, 15.11.2013. : Berliner Ornithologische Arbeitsgemeinschaft e.V. (eds.) Berliner Ornithologischer Bericht, volume 23, Berlin: Berliner Ornithologische Arbeitsgemeinschaft e.V., 1-23.

NABU – Naturschutzbund Deutschland e.V. (2016) Rote Liste der Brutvögel Deutschlands. 5. version, published August 2016, URL: https://www.nabu.de/tiere-und-pflanzen/voegel/artenschutz/rote-listen/10221.html (Accessed: 07.04.2017).

Page „Haubenlerche“. : Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Date of last revision: 11.02.2016, 20:36 UTC. URL: https://de.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Haubenlerche&oldid=150093584 (Accessed: 11.02.2016).

Fiedler, W. (2015) Die Vögel Mitteleuropas sicher bestimmen - Schlüssel zur Art-, Alters- und Geschlechtsbestimmung, Wiebelsheim: Quelle & Meyer Verlag.

Makatsch, W. (1989) Wir bestimmen die Vögel Europas, Leipzig: Neumann Verlag.

Voigt, A. (2006) Exkursionsbuch zum Studium der Vogelstimmen, Heidelberg: Quelle & Meyer Verlag.

Svensson, L. (2011) Der Kosmos Vogelführer - Alle Arten Europas, Nordafrikas und Vorderasiens, Stuttgart: Franckh Kosmos Verlag.

Harrison, C. (1975) Jungvögel, Eier und Nester aller Vögel Europas, Nordafrikas und des Mittleren Ostens - Ein Naturführer zur Fortpflanzungsbiologie, Hamburg und Berlin: Verlag Paul Parey.

Artenfinder (2016) Galerida cristata (Haubenlerche), URL: https://arteninfo.net/elearning/voegel/speciesportrait/3048 (Accessed: 19.04.2016).