Melanocorypha
Encyclopedia
Melanocorypha is a small genus of bird
s in the lark
family. Its members mainly occur in temperate Asia
from Turkey
through Central Asia
to China
, but the Calandra Lark
also has an extensive Europe
an distribution around the Mediterranean
These larks are mostly partially migratory
, moving relatively short distances from the coldest parts of their ranges. Several species are very rare vagrants to western Europe.
These are birds of open cultivation, steppe
or semi-desert. They nest on the ground and the young are precocial. The food is seeds supplemented with insect
s especially in the breeding season. They are gregarious outside the breeding season.
Melanocorypha larks are large, robust birds, 16.5–20 cm long with strong thick bills. Some have the typically undistinguished lark plumage, mainly streaked greyish-brown above and white below, but the, Black
and White-winged Lark
s have distinctive male plumages. Several species have large black patches on the breast sides.
In flight they show broad wings and a shortish tail. The songs of most species are like that of the Skylark
.
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
s in the lark
Lark
Larks are passerine birds of the family Alaudidae. All species occur in the Old World, and in northern and eastern Australia; only one, the Shore Lark, has spread to North America, where it is called the Horned Lark...
family. Its members mainly occur in temperate Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
from Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
through Central Asia
Central Asia
Central Asia is a core region of the Asian continent from the Caspian Sea in the west, China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, and Russia in the north...
to China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, but the Calandra Lark
Calandra Lark
The Calandra Lark, Melanocorypha calandra, breeds in warm temperate countries around the Mediterranean and eastwards through Turkey into northern Iran and southern Russia...
also has an extensive Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an distribution around the Mediterranean
These larks are mostly partially migratory
Bird migration
Bird migration is the regular seasonal journey undertaken by many species of birds. Bird movements include those made in response to changes in food availability, habitat or weather. Sometimes, journeys are not termed "true migration" because they are irregular or in only one direction...
, moving relatively short distances from the coldest parts of their ranges. Several species are very rare vagrants to western Europe.
These are birds of open cultivation, steppe
Steppe
In physical geography, steppe is an ecoregion, in the montane grasslands and shrublands and temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biomes, characterized by grassland plains without trees apart from those near rivers and lakes...
or semi-desert. They nest on the ground and the young are precocial. The food is seeds supplemented with insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
s especially in the breeding season. They are gregarious outside the breeding season.
Melanocorypha larks are large, robust birds, 16.5–20 cm long with strong thick bills. Some have the typically undistinguished lark plumage, mainly streaked greyish-brown above and white below, but the, Black
Black Lark
The Black Lark, Melanocorypha yeltoniensis, breeds in southeast Russia and Kazakhstan. It is partially migratory, with birds from the northwest of its breeding range moving south-east to winter further into Russia and neighbouring countries, as far as the northern Black Sea coasts in southern...
and White-winged Lark
White-winged Lark
The White-winged Lark is a species of lark found in central Asia, from the Caucasus east across temperate southern Asia and Kazakhstan. It is partially migratory, with birds tending to move south in winter. The southernmost birds are mainly resident...
s have distinctive male plumages. Several species have large black patches on the breast sides.
In flight they show broad wings and a shortish tail. The songs of most species are like that of the Skylark
Skylark
The Skylark is a small passerine bird species. This lark breeds across most of Europe and Asia and in the mountains of north Africa. It is mainly resident in the west of its range, but eastern populations are more migratory, moving further south in winter. Even in the milder west of its range,...
.
Species in taxonomic order
- Calandra LarkCalandra LarkThe Calandra Lark, Melanocorypha calandra, breeds in warm temperate countries around the Mediterranean and eastwards through Turkey into northern Iran and southern Russia...
, Melanocorypha calandra - Bimaculated LarkBimaculated LarkThe Bimaculated Lark, Melanocorypha bimaculata, breeds in warm temperate countries eastwards from Turkey into Central Asia. It is the eastern counterpart of its relative, the Calandra Lark....
, Melanocorypha bimaculata - Tibetan LarkTibetan LarkThe Tibetan Lark is a species of lark in the Alaudidae family.It is found in Bhutan, China, and India.-References:* BirdLife International 2004. . Downloaded on 24 July 2007.-External links:*...
, Melanocorypha maxima - Mongolian LarkMongolian LarkThe Mongolian Lark is a species of lark in the Alaudidae family. It is found in China, Mongolia, and Russia.-References:* BirdLife International 2004. . Downloaded on 24 July 2007....
, Melanocorypha mongolica - White-winged LarkWhite-winged LarkThe White-winged Lark is a species of lark found in central Asia, from the Caucasus east across temperate southern Asia and Kazakhstan. It is partially migratory, with birds tending to move south in winter. The southernmost birds are mainly resident...
, Melanocorypha leucoptera - Black LarkBlack LarkThe Black Lark, Melanocorypha yeltoniensis, breeds in southeast Russia and Kazakhstan. It is partially migratory, with birds from the northwest of its breeding range moving south-east to winter further into Russia and neighbouring countries, as far as the northern Black Sea coasts in southern...
, Melanocorypha yeltoniensis