Woodlark

The woodlark is the only extant species in the lark genus Lullula, first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758 as Alauda arborea; its genus name comes from the French Lulu, an imitation of the bird's song, and its species name comes from the Latin for tree. It is a small passerine, 13.5 to 15 centimeters long, about 20 percent shorter than the skylark, mainly brown above and pale below, with a distinctive white eyebrow stripe meeting at the nape, a small inconspicuous crest, a short tail, and short broad wings with white tipped feathers; its melodious, warbling song is often rendered as lu-lu-lu. The species inhabits most of Europe, the Middle East, western Asia and the mountains of north Africa, ranging from England west to the Scandinavian Peninsula, with eastern populations more migratory and western populations largely resident. It favors heathland and open spaces sparsely covered with trees, particularly clearings in pine forests and newly planted pine saplings, performing a fluttering song flight similar to the skylark, with males beginning to sing as early as February. The IUCN lists the woodlark as Least Concern, with European populations estimated between 4.15 and 13.2 million individuals.