The Woodlark (Lullula arborea) is a small, compact lark, noticeably smaller and rounder than the Skylark, and the sole member of its own genus, reflecting how different it is from its commoner relative in song, looks and habits despite the close kinship. It measures 13-15 cm long, with a wingspan of about 27-30 cm and a weight of 24-36 grams. The plumage is brown-streaked and unremarkable at first glance, but a broad, creamy-white eyebrow stripe runs back to meet at the nape, a small black-and-white patch marks the leading edge of the wing, and the tail is noticeably short, one of the best marks separating it from the Skylark and especially visible in flight. A small crest on the crown is rarely raised.
The Woodlark's song ranks among the most beautiful of any Swedish bird: a descending series of melancholic, flute-like "lu-lu-lu-lu" phrases that grow deeper as they fall, delivered from a treetop or during a circling song-flight, often at dusk and dawn and not infrequently through the night. Its call is a soft "didl-üi". It breeds in southern and central Sweden, centred on the wooded uplands of the south, favouring open, dry, often sandy ground with scattered trees and bushes, typical of clear-cuts, heathland and sparse pine forest. The well-hidden ground nest is lined with grass and hair, and the female lays three to five eggs, incubated for 12-15 days; the precocial chicks leave the nest before they can fly, and pairs can raise two broods in a good season. Insects give way to seeds and plant matter outside the breeding season, gathered from the ground in short vegetation. A short-distance migrant, the Woodlark winters in western and southern Europe and is among the earliest larks to return in spring. The Swedish population, a little over ten thousand pairs, has grown after a historical decline, and the species is classed as Least Concern.
Read about this species in Swedish →