Abstract
1. 1. Water budgets of two species of larks (Aves, Alaudidae), Spizocorys starki and Eremopterix verticalis, were determined from average measurements of pulmocutaneous evaporation rate, metabolic rate, excretory water loss and food consumption, at moderate ambient temperatures and humidities. 2. 2. When air-dried millet seed was their only source of water, the bird's mean daily water loss exceeded water gain by about 0·6 g/bird; but water loss could be balanced against water gain by calculating the budgets with values of water loss from the lower end of the observed ranges of values. 3. 3. Many individuals could survive indefinitely without drinking when consuming only millet seed. 4. 4. The birds could not utilize NaCl solutions more concentrated than 0·30 M as drinking water. 5. 5. The very low rates of evaporative and excretory water loss of these two species are adaptive to a dry environment.
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