Oriental Skylark

The Oriental skylark is a small lark, 15.5–18cm long and 24–30g, with streaked yellow-brown upperparts, a short crest and white outer tail feathers. The sexes look alike. It differs from the Eurasian skylark in being smaller, with a longer, more pointed bill, a shorter tail and wings, buffer outer tail feathers and no white trailing edge to the wing in flight. Its nine subspecies vary subtly in size, bill length and tone (Wikipedia, general species account).

It lives in open country with short vegetation, such as grassland, marshes and lake edges, from sea level to 4,300m, avoiding forest except large clearings, and feeds on seeds and insects. Like other skylarks it often rockets up into the sky, fluttering and singing before dropping back to earth, and males may hover while singing to attract a mate. SoIB 2023 lists it as resident in India with local movements and a large range, estimates a long-term decline of about 69% and a current fall of about 5% a year, and rates it a High conservation priority (Wikipedia, general species account; SoIB 2023).