Eurasian Skylark

1. Bushy, upright crest and heavily streaked brown plumage with a broad, pale eye-ring.

2. White outer tail feathers and narrow white trailing edge to wings, visible in flight.

3. Distinctive hovering song flightascending high into the air while delivering a long, warbling song

As an invasive species in Australia, Eurasian Skylarks can spread invasive plants and compete with native birds. They are omnivorous, feeding on seeds, green plant material, and invertebrates including insects and larvae, with a higher proportion of insects in the diet during the breeding season. They forage by walking or running over the ground, picking food from the soil surface. Nesting occurs in shallow ground depressions hidden among grasses or low vegetation, with females laying 3–5 eggs per clutch and raising multiple broods each season. Incubation lasts around 11 days, and both parents feed the young, which leave the nest after 8–1 days but remain dependent for another week or so.

In Australia, Eurasian Skylarks are found mainly in the southeast, including Victoria, Tasmania, southeastern South Australia, and southern New South Wales. They inhabit open country such as croplands, pastures, grasslands, coastal dunes, and even airport fieldsalways avoiding wooded areas. They forage and nest on the ground, preferring areas with low or sparse vegetation. The best time to observe their song flights is at dawn and early morning during the breeding season, when males perform prolonged aerial displays high above open country.