Do skylarksy onlyy sing when on the wing?
The complex and highly variable song of a male skylark, delivered from on high, is one of the countryside’s most familiar sounds. But delivering song while rising vertically from the ground is energetically demanding. Why not just sing from the ground or a suitable perch?
While song-flight may be the only option in an open landscape devoid of perches, research also indicates that the behaviour provides an honest signal of a male’s quality, with higher-calibre males able to sustain their flights for longer. In other words, it’s a way of showing off. Flights last just over two minutes on average, but have also been shown to vary according to the stage of breeding, time of day, time of year and activity of neighbouring birds. Males do sing from the ground, but this song is rather different – slower, less ebullient and more muted. It is thought that ground song may reinforce the pair bond. Males may also sing, rather harshly, when chasing rivals from their territory.