Rufous-tailed Lark

The rufous-tailed lark, or rufous-tailed finch-lark, is a ground bird of the drier open stony habitats of India and parts of Pakistan, resident mainly south of the Ganges, extending west to Kutch and the Aravallis of Rajasthan. Like others of its genus it has a large finch-like bill with a slightly curved upper mandible edge. The dull brown colour matches the soil, and in the field the rufous colour, the reddish rump and a dark tail band that narrows towards the sides to a triangle are distinctive (Wikipedia, general species account).

It forages on the ground in pairs or small groups for grass seeds, grain and insects. In the breeding season, February to May, the male has a courtship display of steep flight followed by a nose-dive and a series of stepped wavy dips with calling. The nest is in a ground depression, with typically two to four glossy, broad oval eggs. SoIB 2023 rates it a High conservation priority, with a Very Large range of about 1.05 million km², a rapid long-term decline of about 67% and a current decline of about 4.5% a year (Wikipedia, general species account; SoIB 2023).