British Birds In Avicuture - an indepth view of breeding British softbill & hardbills

The Skylark by Paul Meek

alauda arvensis

Experience level needed in this species in there keeping and breeding:
Novice - Intermediate - ~~Experienced~~

Things to take into account if you're just starting out with Skylarks

The Skylarks are very easy to look after ideal for beginners; the only problem will be getting a genuine pair.
Live food to rear young and multi brooded.
Skylarks are very hardy and can be kept outside all winter with out any trouble.


The Skylark

Distribution:

Britain and well distributed over Europe

Size:

Approx 18-19cm

Feeding:

Winter Feeding diet:
A basic softbill mixture, added pinkies, wild seeds and a few live mealworms.

Breeding Diet:
In January start giving more live food pinkies, crickets, mealworms etc, a good basic softbill mixture with a few weed seeds added.
Live food is a must for these to rear there young pinkies, buffalo, waxmoth every thing you can get a hold of.

Sexing:

Male Skylarks tend to fly up and along the roof were as females just go up and down.
Males also tend to be a little larger than the females.
Not all cocks sing!
The cock’s flights are about 1cm longer than the females.

Color mutations:
Pastel

General information:

The Skylark is well distributed over most of Europe, some birds migrate and in winter they form large flocks.
They eat various seeds and insects.

How You Introduce Pairs:

I place my pairs together a soon as I know the sex of the birds.
Skylarks are a very sociable bird and you don’t get many problems with these birds.

Housing:

Skylarks should be housed in aviaries as these birds do not take to cages very well.
My flights are 6` x 6`, I tease hay all over the floor for them to hide under and they also pick the seeds up.
Make sure you have a few signing posts for the cock, at different heights.

When To Breed:

Skylarks will go to nest as early as March and continue all the way through the season.
Last year a friend bred 14 young from one pr.
Live food is a must for these to rear there young.

Nest Sites:

I place a couple of bags of peat on the floor then tease hay out all over the aviary floor over the peat, give a little coconut fibre and leave them too it.

Potential Ailments:

Skylarks are a hardy bird but do keep an eye on there feet to make sure they are clean and nothing is tangled around them.

Annual medication:
If there are birds in the aviary that are receiving some medication as a routine treatment then this is the only time they will get anything.

Any other information you may think useful:

Use BBC or IOA rings for the young.
Most Skylarks lay between 3 -5 eggs but normally around about 3.
If you do breed these birds you can sex them no problem.
The young must all be from the same nest if you weigh them you will see a difference in weight between cocks and hen’s example cock 32grm cock 31 grm hen 27grm hen 29 grm this was from a nest I bred a few years ago.