Fun Thekla's Lark Facts For Kids
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The Thekla lark (scientific name - Galerida theklae), more commonly known as the Thekla's lark, is a small bird species that belongs to the Alaudidae family and genus Galerida.
The Thekla lark species consists of birds like the horned lark and the crested lark and is further divided into 12 subspecies, these subspecies are spread all across countries in Africa and Europe.
Thanks to this large subspecies number, these birds have a thriving population because of which they are considered the least concern species.
The subspecies vary from region to region and their sighting is so common that they are mistaken from the crested lark, which is another member of the lark family and has a considerable long length of a range map and has a significantly larger population count, which has resulted in this bird being nowhere close to even coming close to any sort of trouble.
These common birds can often be found in forests and manmade structures much like the crested lark relatives where they can be found foraging the grounds for food. There is not enough information on migration for this species.
If you like these facts about Thekla's lark, make sure you read facts about eastern kingbirds and blue jays too!
Thekla's Lark Interesting Facts
What type of animal is a Thekla's lark?
Thekla's lark (Galerida theklae), more commonly known as Thekla lark is a sedentary species of bird that has a wide population distribution that includes many countries in Africa, Spain, Portugal to name a few. This vast distribution is common in these birds because of the 12 subspecies that they are a part of.
What class of animal does a Thekla's lark belong to?
Thekla's lark (Galerida theklae) belongs to the waves class of animals. They belong to the Alaudidae family, genus Galerida that consists of several subspecies.
How many Thekla's larks are there in the world?
According to BirdLife International, the breeding population of these bird species in the European country of Spain, Portugal, and France is estimated to be around 1,750,000-2,840,000 pairs, which in common view is 3,500,000-5,680,000 mature individuals.
The current population including several countries in Africa and the European range puts the total population of these dark-streaked birds at a healthy number of 23,300,000-37,900,000 mature birds.
Where does a Thekla's lark live?
Thekla's lark range is widespread due to them occurring in various subspecies.
Thekla lark (Galerida theklae) occurs in hilly and broken landscapes and is often found in the bare ground areas of semi-arid pasture regions at a maximum altitude of 10498.69 ft (3,200 m) and a minimum altitude of 164 ft (50 m).
These birds are common in the country of Spain, and other countries in Africa where they occur in breeding and non-breeding groups of different subspecies.
What is a Thekla's lark's habitat?
Thekla's lark habitat range consists of low mountains, pastures, rocky areas, and low mountains.
These streaked birds can often be found close to the ground foraging food.
Who do Thekla's larks live with?
The Thekla lark species occurs in small flocks when foraging and in flight, the flocks can grow as large as 20 Thekla lark.
How long does a Thekla's lark live?
The lifespan of this species of birds is currently unknown, however, based on IUCN reports, they have a generation length of 3.8 years.
How do they reproduce?
The sexual maturity of the Thekla lark species of birds is unknown. The breeding season for these birds varies but is more often between March and April. The nest of these sedentary bird species is made on the ground and may remain in clear view most times, but may also be protected above.
After mating with the male, the female goes through the process of laying her eggs, and the clutch size is often counted at three to five white eggs. The incubation period for the eggs is around 12-13 days, which may vary depending on the Thekla lark bird subspecies.
The Thekla's lark female incubates the eggs alone and the nest is in order for nine to ten days if it is left undisturbed.
What is their conservation status?
At the moment, IUCN Red List puts the thekla lark in the Least Concern category of animals. Due to the 12 subspecies that this bird family (Alaudidae) has, their population is large. However, compared to another lark species, the crested lark (Galerida cristata), their population is significantly smaller.
Thekla's Lark Fun Facts
What do Thekla's larks look like?
The Thekla lark (Galerida theklae) is similar in features to the more populous crested lark (Galerida cristata) of the genus Galerida, order Passeriformes, and in most cases, the identification description of a slightly smaller body that is used for the identification of this bird species from each other.
This small lark, like another member of the lark family, the skylark (Alauda arvensis) of the genus Alauda, order Passeriformes is small in stature. The Thekla lark bird species has a long, erect crest and is greyer in tone than the skylark.
The bill is shorter in this species and while in flight, the grey underwings are in clear view. The body is dark-streaked and has a grey and whitish tone to it.
Compared to the Thekla's lark male, the female is slightly smaller in stature and has similar plumage.
How cute are they?
These birds are pretty looking and do show signs of cuteness especially when they are hopping around foraging.
How do they communicate?
The Thekla lark (Galerida theklae) bird species communicate through various songs, whistles, and twitters, which are similar to that of the crested lark (Galerida cristata) but have more variations. The whistling consists of three to four notes that are also similar to the crested lark but with more energy and emphasis on the final note.
How big is a Thekla's lark?
The Thekla's lark's wingspan is between 11.8-14.9 in (30-38 cm) and adults reach a body height of 5.9-6.6 in (15–17 cm). Compared to another member of the bird family, the rufous hummingbird, the Thekla lark is larger.
How fast can a Thekla's lark fly?
The flight speed of the Thekla lark bird species is unknown.
How much does a Thekla's lark weigh?
The Thekla lark species are smaller in size and weight and reach a maximum weight of 1-1.4 oz (28-40 g).
What are the male and female names of the species?
There is no specific name assigned to either sex of the Thekla lark.
What would you call a baby Thekla's lark?
A Thekla lark baby, like most babies of the bird species, is called a chick.
What do they eat?
Thekla's lark diet consists mainly of insects, seeds, plants, and small invertebrates. The lark bird family and its many subspecies are known to break snail shells by smashing them against stones or rocks.
Are they poisonous?
No, Thekla's lark (Galerida theklae) is not poisonous.
Would they make a good pet?
No, the Thekla lark is a wild species of bird, making it unsuitable for life in captivity.
Did you know...
In the western part of its range, the Thekla's lark (Galerida theklae) is similar to the Malabar lark (Galerida malabarica) which occurs in western India.
Animals like snakes and owls are common predators of the Thekla lark.
How do you identify a Thekla's lark?
Due to Thekla lark species being similar to the skylark and the crested lark (Galerida cristata) it can be difficult to identify these birds. However, they can be distinguished from the skylark and the crested lark thanks to their small stature and the rufous other feathers, tinged buff breast side, and well-defined blackish spots on the breast side.
How did Thekla's larks get their name?
Thekla's lark (scientific name - Galerida theklae) was named by Alfred Edmund Brehm after his sister Thekla Brehm in 1857.
The word 'Thekla' comes from the Greek word for 'Theokleia' which is derived from the word 'theos' which means god and 'kleos' which means glory or honor.
Hence as a way to honor his sister Thekla Brehm, Alfred Brehm named the thekla's lark (Galerida theklae).
Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other birds from our hummingbird facts and vesper sparrow facts pages.
You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable bird coloring pages.
Second image by Charles. J. Sharp
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