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Birds by name

Shorelark

Conservation status: Introduced

A distinctive lark with yellow and black face markings and black 'horns' (feather tufts) in breeding plumage. They are almost exclusively coastal birds. Numbers vary greatly from one winter to the next. In a good year, a few hundred may be present, but in others they can be very scarce. Watch for them shuffling their way across shingle and sandy beaches.

Overview

Latin name

Eremophila alpestris

Family

Larks (Alaudidae)

Where to see them

At the coast, mostly in the east. Shorelarks like to feed along the strandline or in dunes but sometimes also venture into nearby fields. Locations such as Holkham and Salthouse in Norfolk are regular sites.

When to see them

From October until April, when birds start their migration back to their Scandinavian breeding grounds.

What they eat

Seeds and small insects.

Population

EuropeUK breeding*UK wintering*UK passage*
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* UK breeding is the number of pairs breeding annually. UK wintering is the number of individuals present from October to March. UK passage is the number of individuals passing through on migration in spring and/or autumn.

Distribution

Illustrations

Characteristics

Shorelark

Shorelark
  • Size: between robin-blackbird
  • Feather colours: brown, black, white, grey, cream/buff, yellow
  • Beak colours: black/dark grey
  • Beak length: short
  • Beak thickness: short
  • Leg colour: black/grey, brown
  • Behaviour: part of flock, on ground, bird hops on the ground, bird walks/runs on the ground