What little larks. Field lark (bird). Report with photos and video. Characteristic features of the lark. description

Recently manul enjoys high popularity in the Internet environment. It’s all to blame for the stern look from under the brows, which, in combination with soft fur, has become the subject of many jokes. However, it is worth figuring out if the jokers are wrong.

Manul character

This medium-sized animal resembles a large domestic one in size. Males are only slightly larger than females. On average, manuls weigh about 4 kg, and their body length is 50-65 cm.

Due to the dense fur cover manul cat looks much bigger than it actually is. Manuls have the thickest hair among other representatives of the genus cat. Especially thick and long tufts of wool grow on the cheeks of the animal.

Despite the similarity with domestic cats, manul cat has a characteristic body structure. The body is dense, and the legs are short and massive. The tail is long, thick and incredibly fluffy. Small ears are barely noticeable on the medium-sized head of the animal.

In the photo, a wild cat manul

Thanks to their unusual ears, these cats got the prefix in Greek for “ugly ear” to their name. Although I must say, this is too categorical a characteristic, since neat ears do not spoil these forest ones at all. The yellow eyes of manuls have large pupils, which, unlike the pupils of domestic cats, do not narrow into vertical slits in bright light.

The wool of manuls has a uniform reddish-gray color. And only on the back and lush sideburns dark stripes are noticeable, and small dark spots adorn the top of the head. The tip of the tail is also always darkened.

In addition, there is another feature in appearance manul. An unusual color that has manul cat photo transferred in full. The fact is that at the tip, each hair is painted white.

Due to this, it seems that the animal's hair is covered with frost. Manuls move slowly, avoiding sudden movements. They also rarely run and jump very badly, which is very strange for.

Despite the stern look wild manul does not have an aggressive nature. Rather, these animals are cautious, even slightly cowardly. This is dictated by a large number of natural enemies. The threat to these cats may be feral dogs and large predator birds like or .

Manul food

Since manuls are extremely slow and not able to quickly run away from danger, they prefer to avoid trouble. Therefore, they choose the dark time of the day for hunting, preferring to move unnoticed in thick grass. Also, for security reasons, manulas are very silent. Only in extreme cases can they snort and purr.

These cats prefer to live close to their hiding places. It can be said that manul wild cat In the literal sense of the word. Its appearance near a human dwelling is excluded.

But, despite a certain phlegm, manuls are skillful hunters. Their prey is most often small rodents. Sometimes manuls manage to get a bird as a trophy and larger prey in the form of a small or. On bad days of hunting, various beetles serve as an alternative food for these cats.

Manul habitat

Where does manul live? Pallas's cats feel most comfortable in a sharply continental climate. Thanks to their thick coat, they tolerate low temperatures, but in deep snow, due to short legs, they get stuck and move with difficulty. This explains that the manul settled in the northern steppe regions of Central and Central Asia, less often they can be found in the mountains of Tibet and Nepal.

Due to the increased caution of these animals, it is quite difficult for scientists to establish their exact number. But in recent times a sharp decrease in the population has led to the fact that in the territory manul cat exhibit . And this species is endangered all over the world.

Manul at home

Experts point out that manula kittens they do not get used to home conditions well, therefore they are not recommended to be kept as pets. Indeed, even in zoos, where living conditions are close to natural, manuls do not take root well.

No matter how attractive potential buyer manul buy it will not succeed without violating the law. The trade in animals located in is a criminal offense.

Despite this, sometimes there are such proposals. But the cost of such animals is incredibly high, such a dubious purchase can be manul price which exceeds $4,000.

Often, without finding an approach to the animal, unlucky owners rent such animals to the zoo. Because homemade manuls, even if they are hand-fed from childhood and given enough attention to play with them, they do not become docile and affectionate, like ordinary cats.

Manul kitten in the photo

Manula kitten, which grew up with domestic kittens, still cannot be domesticated. Can serve as a clear confirmation of how wild manul video where the domestic kitten is trying to play with it. But the manul cub stubbornly avoids all kinds of contact.

Even exotic lovers are advised by experts to pay attention to other representatives of the wild nature, which have a more docile character. BUT home manul, Unfortunately, besides a short time ruin furniture, curtains and wallpaper, can cause serious harm to the health of the owner.

Numerous number of the most versatile sounds are in the universe. All of them are interesting, exciting, some even frightening. But nothing compares to the cheerful and joyful singing of a lark.

The rest fly to their nesting sites while the snow is still on the ground. As a rule, males arrive first, and after a few days, females. Pairs that form after arrival work together to improve the nests. Nests are built in such a way that they are almost invisible on the ground, completely merge with nature.

The incubation period for larks begins in mid-December and lasts about two weeks. As a rule, they have from three to five eggs. Newborn chicks are born blind with sparse plumage.

But their development is so fast that after a month they can fly and live on their own. The beginning of June is the time for the larks to lay their second eggs. And already at the end of the month, the second newborn birds can independently get their own food.

Singing bird lark you can listen for hours. It cheers up, gives an incentive to life, making you think that after every cold winter comes a warm summer, after failures there always comes a favorable period in life.

Thanks to new technologies, this singing can be heard at any time and thus feel a surge of vitality. It helps a lot during relaxation. Thus, you can plunge into the world of spring in the cold winter season or in rainy autumn weather outside the window.

Incomparable to anything the voice of the lark bird makes a person plunge into the world of fantastic illusions, disconnect from all worldly worries, forget about problems for a while and gain positive energy for a long time. This magic is not inherent in every singing bird.

Anyone who is interested in what this bird looks like, and in real life there is no way to see it can see pictures of bird lark. They show it from different angles. In addition, you can see all the varieties of larks and how they differ from each other.

Skylark bird's nest mostly found in grass, under bushes, where it can be less noticeable. There are times when they can be seen on horse manure or under some kind of stone.

But even in this environment, the lark builds a nest of such material that it completely merges with the general background. The sense of conspiracy in this bird is acutely developed. Even the eggs in the nest are sometimes very difficult to see, because they have a spotted color and are not very noticeable in nature.

These small, at first glance nondescript birds are of great benefit to agriculture and humanity as a whole. Their singing enchants and makes many people believe that the world is beautiful and there is no reason for sadness and sadness.

Lesser lark – Calandrella cinerea (Gmelin, 1789)
Order Passeriformes - Passeriformes

Appearance.

Relatively small lark (body weight 18-30 g, wing length 82-101 mm) of light sandy color, the ventral side is lighter than in Asian and European forms. There are two dark brown spots on the chest, the sides and goiter are darker than those of the Asiatic. The beak is conical, short, more reminiscent of the beaks of finches. A dark stripe behind the eye is clearly visible. Sexual dimorphism is not expressed, the color of the spots on the chest is somewhat darker in the male.

Spreading.

The range covers the steppe and forest-steppe zones of Russia. It is believed that the northern limit of habitation in the region passes through the Minusinsk depression and the southern foot of the eastern half of the Eastern Sayan. However, this lark is also found further north. So, in the Shirin forest-steppe near Solenoozersk, it was quite common. Found nesting in the Abakan steppe and near Minusinsk.

K.A. Yudin met him nesting in the steppes along the river. Abakan and in the Chulym basin (within Khakassia); in November 1930, he also obtained a male that kept on the outskirts of the city of Krasnoyarsk in a flock of field sparrows. Met in the Uibat steppe, and Koibal steppe, in the interfluve of the Yenisei and Abakan rivers, is noted as a typical nesting species. Recently, it has been repeatedly noted near the lake. Uchum and in its vicinity. Within the region, the previously identified subspecies C. c. orientalis running from Southeastern Altai through south Central Siberia to Dzungaria.

Ecology and biology.

It mainly inhabits sagebrush steppes, occupying gravelly spaces with an open cover of sagebrush and grasses. In Khakassia and in the south of the region, it is also found along the shores of small brackish lakes. In Tuva inhabits karagannikovye and sagebrush-cereal steppes.

The nest is a small hole in the soil lined with grass stalks. The breeding biology of the region's little larks has not been studied. There are indications that the nest of this species rarely contains three eggs, more often it consists of two. The juveniles take to the wing quite early, on June 7 an adult bird was encountered, with which a well-flying chick also kept.

In the Abakan steppe, the young begin to fly in the second half of June. According to our data, little larks do start their migration much earlier than skylarks. Their well-marked passage takes place in Tuva already in mid-August.

Number and limiting factors.

Due to the extremely poor study, the abundance has not been established. In the Shirinskaya steppe, in some areas, the population density of the species was high and reached 80 individuals/km². In the Iyusskaya forest-steppe, in young forest plantations and in shrub strips, there were fewer of them - 18-20 individuals / km²;

in the Koibal steppe, the abundance did not exceed 10 individuals/km² P.P. Sushkin considered it not uncommon both in the Abakan steppe and in the area between Minusinsk and Uzhur, although he emphasized the sporadic nature of the distribution. According to the data of captures for ringing small passerine birds along the main migration routes, the little lark was regularly recorded in Tuva near the lake. Khadyn, but his share was insignificant.

For 1980-1991 only 19 individuals were caught there. The decrease in the number is associated with intensive economic development of the steppe zone and chemicalization Agriculture in the 1970s In addition, one should take into account the geographical limitation of the distribution of the species and form inhabiting the south of Central Siberia.

Security measures.

Due to the extremely poor knowledge, special protection measures have not been developed. To be protected like all small insectivorous birds. Key habitats for the little lark need to be identified and conserved.

Sources of information. 1. Stepanyan, 1990; 2. D.V. Vladyshevsky - oral communication; 3. Sushkin, 1914; 4. Yudin, 1952; 5. Bezborodov, 1979; 6. Dementiev, 1954; 7. Kozlova, 1975; 8. Sushkin, 1938; 9. Research reports, 1980-1999; 10. S.M. Prokofiev - oral communication.

Compilers: I.A. Savchenko, A.P. Savchenko. Photo: Andrey Kovalenko, Almaty, Kazakhstan

Body length ranges from 11 to 20 cm, and weight - from 29 to 70 grams. During the flight, they are fast and agile. Larks are painted modestly in relation to other birds. The back is motley, light edged feathers are noticeable on the chest, the belly is light with dark spots. There is a kind of tuft on the head. The beak is more refined than that of a sparrow.

Singing

The song of the larks is filled with numerous varied and exciting sounds. Moreover, each sound has a distinctive feature, which depends on the type of lark, age, experience, individual features and habitats. Despite this, the singing is simple and melodic. It consists of whistling phrases that are pronounced one after another with short pauses. Each phrase sounds with a slight decrease in tone. Despite this, listening to the singing of larks is a pleasure for most. In addition, larks are able to imitate the sounds that birds or animals make.

Wintering

Larks are migratory birds, so winter period fly to the south of Europe. The reason for this behavior is that there is little food left in the fields closer to November. Therefore, larks gather in small flocks and fly south from the beginning of September. At the same time, they return at the beginning of March, regardless of whether the snow has melted or not.

By the arrival of larks, most people in the old days determined the onset of spring and the time when it was time to plow the land.

habitats

Larks live mainly in the steppes, meadows, fields, wastelands, forest clearings, forest edges and even in the mountains. At the same time, they prefer that area with a lot of grass and moisture, so they sometimes settle in swamps. Larks are found throughout Europe and Asia, as well as North Africa, South Australia and New Zealand.

Larks keep in small flocks in small open areas that are well warmed up by the sun's rays. However, from rain and wind, they seek shelter on the edges. As a rule, they do not prefer to sit on branches or wires, therefore most spend time on the ground.

Skylark nests are built on the ground in small holes. At the same time, the construction is carried out exclusively by the female, who weaves it from the leaves and stems of grass, after which she puts fluff, horsehair and wool inside. The nest is built on the ground, securely camouflaged among the grass.

Food

They prefer to eat exclusively plant foods, giving preference to plant seeds. Most often, the diet consists of seeds of pikulnik, sparrow, whelp, bird buckwheat, wild millet, oats and wheat. In addition, occasionally larks peck at small pebbles and sand on rural paths. This is done to aid in the digestion of hard seeds. With the advent of insects, larks begin to hunt them. However, larks hunt only on the ground or catch insects crawling through tall grass. Of insects, they prefer bugs, spiders, larvae, pupae and caterpillars of butterflies. Thirst is quenched with the help of dew, which settles on plants.

Types of larks

Among the larks, there are 78 species that live in Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia and even America. Among them, the forest lark, desert, crested, field, common, white-winged, black, horned and others are common.

The forest lark or spinning top is a small bird, similar in size to a sparrow. The upper body, wings and tail of the wood lark are painted brownish-brown. The belly, along the edge of the tail and "eyebrows" are white. There are longitudinal brown streaks on the back and chest, but they are wider on the back. In addition, elongated feathers are found on the cheeks and a small tuft of the forest lark.

Often found on the edges of the forest and in the mountain steppe with rare shrubs. However, it inhabits only those places where there is a clearing or deforestation with good warming by the sun's rays. It lives in Europe, southwestern Asia and northwestern Africa.

The song of the forest lark is simple and melodic, consisting of whistling phrases. Execution is fast. The forest lark is a lover of singing, so the song is heard throughout the day, and sometimes heard on moonlit nights. The song is performed from the trees, unlike other larks, and also during the flight. At the same time, the singing season of the forest lark falls on the period from March to July, sometimes it is heard in August.

The crested lark is similar to the field lark, but stocky and wider in the "shoulders". A feature of the lark is the ability to raise and lower the crest, in particular, this is done during the mating season. It is this large pointed crest that gives the lark its special appeal. The beak is thin and brown on top, and light or yellowish below. The back is gray-brown with an ocher tint and with dark trunks. The crest on the head is black with narrow light borders, the throat along the edges consists of stripes of dark mottled. The belly is white, the body and sides of the goiter are grayish. The legs are thin and pale brown.

The crested lark lives almost throughout Europe, Africa, Asia, North India, China and Korea. However, every year the distribution of the lark increases. In addition, he chooses a variety of open and semi-open biotopes for his place of residence, he also managed to master agricultural landscapes, and in winter he moves closer to people and cattle yards.

The singing starts early. At the same time, they can perform their song both in the air and sitting on a tree. In winter, the song is short, similar to short sonorous exclamations, but by March they are connected into a short song.

The common little lark is a small bird that looks like a sparrow. The color is dominated by a grayish or ocher-sandy shade. On the shoulders there are dark narrow trunks, and on the back they are slightly wider. The head is reddish, the lore and eyebrows are painted in a pale salty shade, the ear feathers are brownish with dark edges. The underside of the abdomen is white with a buffy tint. The sides of the neck and goiter have a dark spot. The beak is brown above and light below. The legs are long and pale brown.

The common little lark lives in southern Europe, northern and eastern Africa, as well as in Western and Central Asia. Sets up a nest in the open steppe and desert spaces, stony, gravel, clay and sandy soils. In addition, it lives in solonetzes with stunted vegetation, white-wormwood steppes, rare and undersized shrubs.

They start singing in the spring. At the same time, they sing both in the air and in the trees. The song is uncomplicated, abrupt, and begins with a two-syllable exclamation with a clear second syllable.

Field lark - nesting, migrant. Inhabits open grassy areas. Often settles in dry and upland meadows, vast forest glades, grassy forest edges, open heaths and in grass-forb steppes. It also willingly settles in winter and spring crops. Often found in northern and middle Europe, Italy, Norway, Sweden. Surprisingly, the field lark belongs to the steppe zone. In addition, it is considered a representative of the avifauna of the forest-steppe.

The back of the field lark is painted in an ocher-brownish hue with dark blackish-brown stems. The back and shoulders are covered with large spots with wide borders. The head matches the color of the back, but the feathers have narrow light borders. The abdomen is white, but it looks like "washed". The chest, sides of the head, bridle and eyebrows are light. The goiter and sides of the neck are painted in a dark reddish-buffy shade.

The song of the field lark is filled with a variety of sound signals, but trill sounds form the basis. A song is being performed in a fluttering current stream. In addition, the melody consists of a variety of murmuring and chirping continuously flowing trills, which are mixed with clean and sonorous whistling laps. They sing exclusively in trees or air, less often on the ground. The field lark sings the song from the moment of spring arrival until the middle of summer.

The white-winged lark is a common nomadic and migratory bird that lives in not too dense and low vegetation. It occurs on complex solonetzes, in areas with kokpek and feather grass drains. However, it prefers fescue-wormwood areas along the slopes of the plateau. It lives in Russia and in the steppes of the Caucasus.

The white-winged lark is painted in a typical lark outfit. The head and ear coverts of the male are light rusty-rusty, the back is gray with a brownish tint and wide blackish-brown stems. The belly is white, there are pale brown spots on the sides of the throat and goiter. The sides of the chest are rusty, and the sides of the body are pale brownish. The beak is black. The legs are thin and painted in pale brown.

The song of the white-winged lark is simple and consists of a melodic trill, which sometimes imitates the voices of other birds. Sings exclusively on the ground, but may continue to sing during takeoff. The call is a quiet, drawn-out cry.

The black lark is popularly called the chernysh or black steppe. The name of the lark was due to the characteristic color. The fact is that almost the entire body of the lark is covered with black feathers, but they have white or ocher edges. Closer to spring, the lark acquires a matte black hue. The beak is light or pale yellowish with a brownish end. The paws are thin and black. In the female, the plumage is different, because it is painted in a blackish-brown hue with pale brownish-gray borders. The abdomen is off-white with brown bases of the craw and sides.

Lives exclusively in the Volga-Ural steppe. Nests are built on sagebrush associations, in the black sagebrush steppe, on fallows, grass-forb areas, on fescue-feather grass and fescue-wormwood steppes, on salt marshes.

The singing is complex and beautiful, like the song of a skylark. Sounds high. The song consists of murmuring sounds uttered in separate phrases and passages. Often sings on the ground, trying to sit higher.

Larks are sparrow-sized birds famous for their melodious singing. See beautiful pictures lark birds.

Larks

The lark family is part of the passeriformes. This family is represented by individuals of small and medium sizes. They are characterized by such common features: large head, short neck and strong build. Rapid flight of larks is provided by sharp, long and wide wings. In representatives of the family, the beak in its shape radically differs from each other and depends on the genus and species. Birds of the family have a protective coloration, which provides camouflage against the background of the surrounding area.

The lark family has up to nineteen genera, which consist of eighty species. Natural habitats for most species of birds of the family are located in Africa and Eurasia, and a good half of them are endemic to Africa. Individual representatives of the lark family live in Australia (Javanese lark) and America (horned lark). Birds of any of the eighty species are excellent singers. Their singing is melodic and sonorous. About fifty species of larks are listed in the Red Book, and seven species of these birds are considered endangered.

Within the territory of Russian Federation There are fourteen species of larks. The most typical representatives of these species are field and forest larks.

The horned lark is a bird of the Altai Mountains.

field lark

The field lark is commensurate in size with an ordinary sparrow, but somewhat larger than it. The coloration of the lark of this species is discreet, soft, which provides a protective disguise. The back is usually gray, but it can also be yellow-brown. The head is decorated with a small crest, and the tail is framed with white feathers. Males reach large sizes than females and are able to sing.

Fields and meadows, steppes and mountains - these are the natural habitats of the field lark. Most often, these birds nest in meadows and edges covered with grass, but fields sown with spring and winter cereals are best suited for nesting. The device of the nest is quite primitive, it is located on the surface of the soil in a small hole among the grass. Construction material used in this case - the roots and stalks of herbaceous plants. Inside the nest is lined with fluff, wool, horsehair collected by birds. Larks diligently disguise their dwelling. Building a nest and hatching chicks is the priority of the female.

In May, females lay up to six eggs and incubate them for fourteen days. The hatched chicks are blind, covered only with fine fluff. Their stay in the nest is limited to ten days, after which the chicks leave the parental home, although they are not yet able to feed and fly on their own. For several weeks, they live among thickets of grass and stalks of rye or wheat, receiving food from their parents. During this time, little larks acquire the skills necessary for independent living.

The field lark forages on the ground. Basically, their food consists of seeds of various herbaceous and cereal plants. For normal operation stomach larks peck small pebbles. In addition to plant foods, their diet includes various larvae, pupae, spiders and other small insects. Larks forage only on the ground, they never catch prey in flight or on tall stems of plants. Thirst is quenched with dew. The field lark loves to bathe in dust or sand. Birds begin to migrate for wintering in September, and in October all individuals depart for the flight.

Field lark in flight.

Field lark with prey.

forest lark

The forest lark (otherwise the spinning top) is a small bird, somewhat smaller than its close relative, the field lark. Just like the field lark, the color of the spinning top is soft and discreet. The head is decorated with a small crest. The natural habitats of the forest lark are located in northern Africa and western Eurasia. Yula, unlike all other species of larks, lives in forest areas. She is not a fan of dark forest thickets, therefore she prefers to settle on the edges, clearings, clearings and in the bush.

Yula often sits on the branches of trees and shrubs, which is not done by larks of other species. When building a nest, the forest lark avoids places overgrown with tall grass. He creates his nests on the surface of the earth in small pits, among low grass. Their device is identical to the device of nests in field larks. Feeding, development of yule chicks is similar to that of the field lark. The forest lark is a migratory bird that winters on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea and in southwestern Europe. And in this it is similar to the field lark. Yula returns from the winter hut a little later than the field lark.

hoopoe larks

Hoopoe larks live in northern Africa and the Middle East. This genus includes two forks: the lesser hoopoe lark and the greater hoopoe lark.

Large hoopoe lark at the nest.

Large hoopoe lark on a bush.

finches

The finch lark is another genus of larks that includes four species: the desert lark, the black-tailed finch lark, the rufous-tailed finch lark, and the Namibian finch lark.