Greater Short-toed Lark

The greater short-toed lark is a small passerine, dark-streaked greyish-brown above and white below, with a strong pointed pinkish bill with a grey culmen, a pale eyebrow, dark patches on each side of the neck and a dark tail. It is paler than the Mongolian short-toed lark, which also has a shorter bill. The subspecies longipennis breeds in Ukraine, Mongolia and Manchuria and winters in South Asia, mainly in the drier north-west of India, and in colonial India it was hunted for food as ortolans (Wikipedia, general species account).

All but some southernmost populations are migratory, wintering south to the southern edge of the Sahara and India. During migration they form large, tight flocks that move in unison, and at other times loose flocks. It nests on the ground, laying two to three eggs. SoIB 2023 rates it a Moderate conservation priority, a winter migrant of open habitat with a Large range of about 278,000 km², a decline of about 55% over the long term and an inconclusive current trend (Wikipedia, general species account; SoIB 2023).