Mongolian steppe lark (lat. Melanocorypha mongolica) is a sparrow detachment, a lark family.
Description
In our country you can find about 12 types of larks. And the Mongol Lark is characteristic of the inhabitants of open landscapes, meadows and even deserts. They sing perfectly, giving out melodic and sonorous trill.
The body length of this species reaches about 20 cm (and almost 8 cm falls on the tail), and weight is up to 60 grams. The lark male has an ashen-gray stain of plumage in the upper body. Wings and tail, as well as a strip through the eyes of a bird, dark, almost black. Bottom of the body, the edges of the tail of a stepped shape, and strips on the wings of whitish. The wings are round and short. This type is not characterized by sexual dimorphism, t.e. females are indistinguishable from males.
Appearance
Mongolian lark can be called the largest of this species in our country. It is similar in size to the starling, and the scope of its wings reaches impressive 40 cm. The top of the head, shoulders, the side of the neck and the suprastroke of the lark are reddish, and the back is a grayish shade.
Lifestyle and behavior
On Earth, these birds are quite confident in their movements, and they can not only move well, but even run. The flight of the lark is strong and sharp, and with the help of wings it is able to hang in the air for a long time. Flying, the lark usually sings, very melodic and pleasant.
Adults accompany young animals for quite some time, and therefore in the middle of summer you can see wellflying flocks of adolescents accompanied by parents.
By autumn, the larks are gathered in flocks (about 100 birds), and closer to winter these groups are significantly increased. If the winter is soft and not snowy, then the larks spread throughout the fodder site throughout the territory. And in harsh winters they are looking for lowsnow territories: roads, small settlements, camps and farms.
Where they live
The Mongol Lark, as the name implies, lives in Mongolia. But it can be found in the northern territories of China and our country. It is in Eurasia that the northern periphery of the range of the Mongol lark is located although the number of its population here is steadily declining.
In our country, a bird can be found in the south of Tuva, the Range of Tannu-Ola and the southern territory of Buryatia, in the steppes (Borzinsky, Agin and Borgoskaya), and the upper reaches of Arguni.
This species inhabit not only the steppe territories and the high plateaus: it can be found in virgin areas with multigrass, wormwood or corn highly grass. It is often found in areas of fixed sands that are overgrown with cereal crops, on pastures.
What they eat
In the summer, the Mongol Lark prefers to feed on animal food, and usually a wide variety of straightwinged, ants, larvae and caterpillars are their food, but in winter it does not refuse plant components (seeds, fallen grains and so on). They are almost omnivorous because they live in harsh climatic conditions.
Reproduction
The nesting period of the Mongol lark falls out at the end of spring or early summer. Couples usually settle quite unevenly, sometimes forming certain clusters of nests, which can consist even of four nesting quite closely located closely. In the soft climate of Mongolia, the larks are nesting twice per season.
The nests themselves are built on the ground, relying on the protection of the grass cover. In the masonry, you can usually find up to four grayish eggs with brown krap.
The song of the lark has already sounded since the end of March, and usually during this period it has been heard during the day and from the ground, but starting in April, the lark has been issuing its trills from the air.
