July 31, 2013

Galerida cristata

Bird of month July 2013

Sci: Galerida cristata, No: Topplerke, Eng: Crested lark, It: Capellaccia, Fr: Cochevis huppĂ© 

Dear All,
This months bird is a greeting from our holiday in Puglia, near Bari Italy, where the Crested lark is commonly seen near the sea in grassy fields. This bird was the favourite bird of Francis of Assisi, due to its humble behaviour picking grains on the ground and praising God with its song.

In Norway the Crested lark bred in earlier days, but last breeding bird in Norway was observed in 1972. According to artsobservasjoner.no, it has been observed in Norway only three times in the last decade, so it is essentially extinct in our country.

Best regards,
Hans