A Eurasian Skylark at Point Reyes, California, with notes on skylark identification and systematics . Which finally brings me to the subject of the subspecific identity of the two Sky Larks which were found this winter at Sequim, Washington. They were thought to be of the Asiatic race Alauda arvensis pekinensis like the Point Reyes bird below rather than the race A. a. arvensis which has been introduced at nearby Vancouver Island and which has expanded to the San Juan Islands in Washington. Photos of the Sequim birds contributed by Ruth Sullivan may be seen on our photo gallery . Before getting down to cases, it is important to understand that the differences between the various subspecies of Sky Lark are rather minor variation in size and pigment saturation.
Males are larger than females within each subspecies.
Furthermore, it is my opinion from examining specimens, that there is as much individual variation within subspecies as there are differences between subspecies in this group. In other words, the Sky Lark races have been over-split. While the Sequim birds do seem to be fairly heavily pigmented, they do not appear to me to be a good match for the Point Reyes bird. In particular, they show excessive wear on the tertials, scapulars and mantle. In this respect they closely resemble some photos I have of birds taken in the summer in Europe.