LARK

29th April 2024

Photo Credit: MikeLane45 (Getty Images), CANVA

QUOTATION

Down, down I come, like glist’ring Phaeton,

Wanting the manage of unruly jades.

In the base court - base court where kings grow base,

To come at traitors’ calls and do them grace.

In the base court come down - down court, down king,

For nightowls shriek where mounting larks should sing.

KING RICHARD: Richard II, Act 3, Scene 3

LARK (Skylark: Alauda arvensis, Woodlark: Lullula arborea)

Shakespeare returns to the Lark time and again for metaphors of sweet music and early rising. In the quotation above King Richard compares his decline with the absence of the Lark and its soaring, spiritual song. In Romeo and Juliet the Lark and the Nightingale are the birds of morning and evening respectively as the lovers try to prolong their time together. The sweet sound of the Lark’s song is often contrasted with the harsh sound of the Crow’s call. Larks were eaten in Shakespeare’s England and the 1594 ‘Huswife’s Handmaide in the Kitchin’ has several Lark recipes.

There are 2 main Lark species in the UK, the Skylark (Alauda arvensis) and the Woodlark (Lullula arborea) and there is a rare winter visitor, the Shore Lark (Emerophila alpestris). The Skylark and the Woodlark can be heard in any season in the UK but the sound of the skylark is especially vibrant on sunny days. Skylark numbers fell dramatically in the 20th century but conservation measures on farmland have helped to improve their conservation in some areas. Larks have a distinctive crest on their head which is not always visible.

More Information

British Trust for Ornithology (BTO): Skylark, Woodlark, Shore Lark

Folger Shakespeare: Search Shakespeare’s Works

Foods of England: The Good Huswife’s Handmaide in the Kitchin 1594

RSPB: Skylark, Woodlark, Shore Lark