What Are the Characteristics of the Lark? Learn to Tell Males from Females
SummaryThe lark is the general name for birds of the genus Alauda in the order Passeriformes, class Aves. It is a representative bird of the grasslands and belongs to the small songbirds. It has a beautiful crest on its head, a rather small, conical beak that in some species is long and slightly curved, nostrils often covered by overhanging feathers, slightly pointed and long wings, and long, straight hind claws. It often sings while flying and usually flies very high. Larks live on arid mountains, deserts, grasslands or rocks. Outside the breeding season they mostly live in flocks, often making short low flights or running about, and feeding on insects and grass seeds.
The lark always reminds the editor of the various beautiful fairy tales heard in childhood. In those stories, the lark is always beautiful and kind. So what is a lark really like? Today the editor will introduce you to the real lark, and I believe it will surely be as beautiful as in the fairy tales. Let's take a look.
An Introduction to the Characteristics of the Lark
1. The lark is a representative bird of the grasslands and belongs to the small songbirds. They often have a beautiful crest on the head, a rather small, conical beak that in some species is long and slightly curved. The nostrils are often covered by overhanging feathers. The wings are slightly pointed and long, the tail is shorter than the wings, the rear edge of the tarsus is rather blunt with shield-like scales, and the hind claw is generally long and straight.
2. The lark has a loud voice and is good at imitating the sounds of other birds and animals, as well as the sounds of objects. It sings in complete sets and can even sing while dancing, which makes it very endearing. The lark is outstanding among songbirds: it has 4 to 9 pairs of syringeal muscles controlling sound production, which is 2 to 5 pairs more than other birds. Moreover, the muscles on each side can contract independently, so the sounds it produces are melodious and tuneful. This lark is about 18 cm long and plain in appearance.
How to Tell Male and Female Larks Apart
1. How to distinguish male and female larks: look at the head. A small head, no back of the head, and narrow near the beak means a female bird. A large head, a back of the head, and wide near the beak means a male bird. Look at the eyes. Large, spirited eyes, eyes above the beak, and eyes closer to the corners of the beak means a male bird. Small, dull, vacant eyes, eyes and beak on a straight line, and eyes farther from the corners of the beak means a female bird.
2. Look at the eyebrows. White eyebrows, wide and long, or narrow yet long but clear and elegant, with both eyebrow lines extending all the way to the back of the head, and thick eyebrows joined into one at the back of the head means a male bird. This is one of the main signs for distinguishing male from female. Thick, short, inelegant eyebrows, unclear eyebrow color, sometimes with a gap in the middle of the eyebrow, and not joined at the back of the head means a female bird. The lark is a kind of bird, as many people know, and it is very lovable.
How Much Does a Lark Cost
The price of young larks ranges from 15-60 yuan, depending on the region. Hand-fed adult birds range from 50-200 RMB depending on the age in the cage. The number of calls and the appearance also affect the price. A lark that can perform 13 sets of calls might cost several thousand yuan, and if it can also open its crest, it may cost ten thousand yuan. Wild-caught adult birds generally cost 10-20 yuan, but they cannot be “trained to call”, and the price is also determined by different places.
Although the lark may be slightly different from what everyone imagines, it must be said that it is still beautiful. What do you think? If you want to buy a lark, you must learn to tell males from females yourself, and be careful not to be cheated. I hope today's article by the editor can be of some help to you.