The secretive woodlark favours open, dry habitats with short grasses. It can be seen all year-round, but is most notable in February and March. Mostly, it is a resident bird, feeding on seeds and insects, but does move to farmland stubbles for the autumn and early winter. Woodlark usually nest within a grassy tussock or heather bush, often digging a shallow scrape. Scattered trees and woodland edges are used as song or lookout posts.
How to identify
The woodlark is stripy brown, with a buff-white eyestripe and a spikey crest on its head. It has an oddly short tail and a bouncing flight pattern. The similar skylark is larger, with a longer tail, and prefers farmland and grassland habitats.
Did you know?
There are more than 3,000 breeding pairs of woodlark in the UK. Some of our breeding birds spend the winter on the continent, however.
