Larks: Family Alaudidae

The family Alaudidae is a large family of songbirds native to dry, arid regions of Europe, Asia and Africa. Larks can typically be found foraging for seeds and insects on the ground, rather than in the trees, and most species have fairly drab, brown plumage in order to camouflage themselves. Members of this family have oddly shaped feet, which have a specialized claw on the hind toe and differentiates this family from other passerines. This claw is elongated and helps to stabilize the bird while standing on a flat surface as well as digging out depressions in the ground for nesting.

Singing Daredevils

Larks are known for their long beautiful songs that they use in courtship rituals. Some species even have songs lasting up to an hour! Songbirds like these are able to sing such long, seemingly continuous songs by taking very short, micro-breaths in between notes.

Amazingly, the songs sung by Larks during courtship rituals are often performed while also showing off their aerial acrobatics. Many species of larks will show off their flying abilities in order to attract a mate, and will often perform daring feats to do so. Some species clap their wings mid flight, or dive bomb the ground, swooping back up just before they hit. Its almost like they are trying to catch the snitch in a game of Quiddich...

Diversity Threatened

The habitats that these birds occupy has also contributed to the species richness of this family. Adaptive radiation is a process in which species evolve after moving to a new niche in a diverse habitat. Most species of the family Alaudidae occupy dry habitats like deserts and grasslands. While these areas don't seem like the most diverse habitat, these birds have radiated simply based on very small differences in vegetation cover.

Unfortunately, the diversity in this family is threatened by habitat loss. This is a common theme in nature, regrettably. When an organism becomes too specialized, living in only specific areas, eating specific foods, they are very likely to become threatened and endangered. Many species of Larks occupy these specialized niches, and humans have endangered several species by destroying their limited habitat.

Taxonomy

Many bird families are being reorganized as we discover ways of classifying them according to their DNA. The family Alaudidae is one family that will likely remain the same due to their "oddly shaped feet". There are 19 genera and 91 species of Larks. Genera include:

Genus Mirafra
Genus Pinarocorys
Genus Heteromirafra
Genus Certhilauda
Genus Chersomanes
Genus Eremopterix
Genus Ammomanes
Genus Alaemon
Genus Ramphocoris
Genus Melanocorypha
Genus Calandrella
Genus Spizocorys
Genus Eremalauda
Genus Chersophilus
Genus Galerida
Genus Pseudalaemon
Genus Lullula
Genus Alauda
Genus Eremophila