Birds · Passeriformes · Alaudidae

Greater Short-toed Lark

Calandrella brachydactyla

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

A small, pale, round-headed lark that spends almost all its time on the ground, running between sparse vegetation. Its best identification mark is a small dark patch on each side of the neck, above a largely unmarked belly.

Weight

20 g – 25 g

Size

13 cm – 15 cm

Lifespan

5 years

Diet

Herbivore

Feeds mainly on plants.

Activity

Diurnal

Active mainly during the day.

Social structure

Solitary

Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

Estimated population

Between 9.30 and 17.4 million individuals in Europe according to the 2021 European Red List of Birds

GrasslandHerbivore Diurnal Solitary Bird Grassland

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Fun facts

GeneralOn migration it forms dense flocks that move as one.
On migration it forms dense flocks that wheel and move as one, which is unusual among larks.
It nests in a simple scrape in the ground lined with leaves, twigs and feathers, with no raised structure at all.
It shares ground with the lesser short-toed lark, its sister species, from which it separates by choosing different microhabitats within the same landscape.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bird)
Habitat & environment: Cereal steppe, saltflats and fallow land
Gestation / incubation: 13 days, by the female alone. The chicks fledge at 12-13 days
Litter / clutch size: 3-6 greyish eggs with brown speckles, with up to two clutches a year from May on

Sources consulted: SEO/BirdLife (ficha y III Atlas, Herranz 2022); Lista Roja Europea de Aves 2021; Suárez, Garza y Morales 2002; Serrano y Astrain 2005; Carrascal y Palomino 2008