- Galerida malabarica
Identification
16 cm (6¼ in)
Long spiky erectile crest. Dark and heavy streaking above. Rufous-buff flanks. Medium spotting on the breast. The sexes are similar.
Similar Species
Similar to Crested Lark but smaller, darker and heavily streaked above, rufous-buff below mainly on flanks. Pale rufous outer tail feathers. Can be confused with Oriental Skylark but less spotting on the breast, heavier bill and longer crest. Pale rufous outer tail feathers. Call is different.
Distribution
Western India.
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species[1], which in the past has been treated as conspecific with Thekla Lark.
Habitat
Open country, cultivation and scrub.
Behaviour
Breeding
Ground nesters; the clutch consists of 2-3 eggs.
Diet
They forage on the ground, it is believed for seeds, beetles and ants, but their diet is not well recorded.
Vocalisation
Recording by Alok Tewari
Bhimashankar WLS, Pune, Maharashtra, India, Jan-2016
Song given by one individual, foraging at Sunset time.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2015. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2015, with updates to August 2015. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved February 2016)
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Malabar Lark. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 29 May 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Malabar_Lark
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.1