The black lark is a species of lark in the family Alaudidae found in south-eastern Russia and Kazakhstan.
Region
Central Asia and southern Russia
Typical Environment
Breeds widely across the Kazakh Steppe and adjacent south-eastern Russia, favoring open, treeless grasslands and feather-grass steppes. It also uses fallow fields, pasture, and semi-desert with scattered shrubs. After breeding, birds disperse west and southwest to winter on agricultural stubbles, steppe margins, and weedy fields. Ground nests are placed under grasses or low vegetation for concealment. Vagrants occasionally reach areas farther west during winter cold spells.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1200 m
Climate Zone
Continental
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
Male black larks are strikingly all-black—unique among larks—with contrasting pale wing panels visible in flight, while females are mottled brown for camouflage. They breed on open steppe and nest on the ground, relying on grass tussocks for cover. Outside the breeding season they form sizable flocks that roam stubble fields and steppe edges. Habitat loss from agricultural conversion of natural steppe has contributed to regional declines.
Melanocorypha yeltoniensis
Temperament
wary but semi-gregarious outside breeding
Flight Pattern
strong flier with bounding display flights
Social Behavior
Breeds in loose colonies or dispersed pairs on open steppe. The nest is a ground cup hidden among grasses; typical clutches are 3–5 eggs. Females primarily incubate while both parents feed the young. Post-breeding, birds gather into flocks that move locally in search of food.
Migratory Pattern
Partial migrant
Song Description
The male delivers a rich, varied warble with whistles and trills, often given during elevated display flights or from a perch. Calls include dry churps and harsher notes used for contact within flocks.
