The greater short-toed lark (''Calandrella brachydactyla'') is a small

passerine A passerine () is any bird of the order Passeriformes (; from Latin 'sparrow' and '-shaped'), which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds, passerines are distinguished from other orders of birds by t ...

bird. The current scientific name is from

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic peri ...

. The genus name, ''Calandrella'', is a diminutive of ''kalandros'', the

calandra lark The calandra lark (''Melanocorypha calandra'') or European calandra-lark breeds in warm temperate countries around the Mediterranean and eastwards through Turkey into northern Iran and southern Russia. It is replaced further east by its relative ...

, and ''brachydactila'' is from ''brakhus'', "short", and ''daktulos'', "toe". It breeds in southern Europe, north-west Africa, and across the

Palearctic The Palearctic or Palaearctic is the largest of the eight biogeographic realms of the Earth. It stretches across all of Eurasia north of the foothills of the Himalayas, and North Africa. The realm consists of several bioregions: the Euro-Sibe ...

from Turkey and southern Russia to Mongolia. During migration they form large, tight flocks that move in unison; at other times they form loose flocks.

Taxonomy and systematics

The greater short-toed lark was described by the German naturalist Johann Leisler in 1814 and given the

binomial name In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

''Alauda brachydactila''. This lark is now placed in the

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

'' Calandrella'' that was established by another German naturalist,

Johann Jakob Kaup Johann Jakob von Kaup (10 April 1803 – 4 July 1873) was a German naturalist. A proponent of natural philosophy, he believed in an innate mathematical order in nature and he attempted biological classifications based on the Quinarian system. Kaup ...

, in 1829. The

specific name Specific name may refer to: * in Database management systems, a system-assigned name that is unique within a particular database In taxonomy, either of these two meanings, each with its own set of rules: * Specific name (botany), the two-part (bino ...

''brachydactyla'' is from the

βραχυδακτυλος ''brakhudaktulos'' "short-toed" from ''brakhus'' "short" and ''daktulos'' "toe". The alternate name short-toed lark may also be used for three other species in the genus ''Calandrella''. The Mongolian short-toed lark was formerly considered as a

subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...

of the greater short-toed lark (as ''C. b. dukhunensis'') until split in 2016 by the IOC. Formerly, some authorities also considered the

red-capped lark The red-capped lark (''Calandrella cinerea'') is a small passerine bird. This lark breeds in the highlands of eastern Africa southwards from Ethiopia and Somaliland. In the south, its range stretches across the continent to Angola and south to t ...

to be either conspecific (as ''C. cinerea'') with or a subspecies (as ''C. b. cinerea'') of the greater short-toed lark.

Subspecies

Eight

are recognized: * European greater short-toed lark (''C. b. brachydactyla'') or Palestine short-toed lark - ( Leisler, 1814): Found in southern Europe, on Mediterranean islands and in north-western Africa. * Hungarian greater short-toed lark (''C. b. hungarica'') -

Horváth Horváth is a common Hungarian surname. "Horváth" is the 2nd or 4th most common surname in Hungary as well as the most common in Slovakia. It's thought to derive from Hungarian horvát ("Croat") spelled without the final h in old orthography. T ...

, 1956: Found in Hungary and northern Serbia * North African greater short-toed lark (''C. b. rubiginosa'') - Fromholz, 1913: Found in northern Africa * Levant greater short-toed lark (''C. b. hermonensis'') - Tristram, 1865: Originally described as a separate species. Found from southern Turkey and Syria to north-eastern Egypt. The syntypes of ''Calandrella hermonensis'' Tristram
Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1864
p.434), 3 adult males and a juvenile, are held in the vertebrate zoology collection of National Museums Liverpool at World Museum, with accession numbers NML-VZ T15738, NML-VZ T17770, NML-VZ T17771 and NML-VZ T17773. The specimens were collected at the foot of Mount Hermon,

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...

in June 1864 by Canon Henry Baker Tristram. The specimens came to the Liverpool national collection through the purchase of Tristram's collection by the museum in 1896. * BIrelandcik greater short-toed lark (''C. b. woltersi'') - Kumerloeve, 1969: Found in southern Turkey and north-western Syria * Transcaucasian greater short-toed lark (''C. b. artemisiana'') - Banjkovski, 1913: Found from central Turkey and

Transcaucasia The South Caucasus, also known as Transcaucasia or the Transcaucasus, is a geographical region on the border of Eastern Europe and Western Asia, straddling the southern Caucasus Mountains. The South Caucasus roughly corresponds to modern Arme ...

to north-western Iran * Steppe greater short-toed lark (''C. b. longipennis'') - ( Eversmann, 1848): Originally described as a separate species in the genus ''

Alauda ''Alauda'' is a genus of larks found across much of Europe, Asia and in the mountains of north Africa, and one of the species (the Raso lark) endemic to the islet of Raso in the Cape Verde Islands. Further, at least two additional species are ...

''. Also known as Eastern short-toed lark (a name also used by the

Asian short-toed lark The Asian short-toed lark (''Alaudala cheleensis'') is a lark in the family Alaudidae. The species was first described by Robert Swinhoe in 1871. It is found from south-central to eastern Asia. Taxonomy and systematics Formerly or presently, s ...

) or Yarkand short-toed lark. Found from Ukraine and southern Russia to south-central Siberia and southern Mongolia * ''C. b. orientalis'' - Sushkin, 1925: Found in central Siberia, northern Mongolia and northern China

Description

Several subspecies have been named but there is considerable geneflow and the species itself forms part of a larger complex. This is a small pale lark, smaller than the skylark. It is dark-streaked greyish-brown above, and white below, and has a strong pointed bill that is pinkish with a grey culmen. It has a pale supercilium, dark patches on each side of its neck and a dark tail. Some birds in the west of the range have a rufous crown. The sexes are similar. The greater short-toed lark is paler than the Mongolian short-toed lark which also has a shorter bill. In winter they fly in large and compact flocks that swing in synchrony. Care must be taken to distinguish this species from other similar ''Calandrella'' larks, such as the

Mediterranean short-toed lark The Mediterranean short-toed lark (''Alaudala rufescens'') is a small passerine bird found in and around the Mediterranean Basin. It is a common bird with a very wide range from Canary Islands north to the Iberian Peninsula and east throughout N ...

. The nominate form breeds in Europe (Iberia, France, Italy, the Balkans and Romania) and winters in Africa. Subspecies ''hungarica'' breeds in the eastern parts of Europe while ''rubiginosa'' breeds in north-western Africa. Subspecies ''hermonensis'' (sometimes including ''woltersi'') breeds in Turkey, Syria and Egypt. Subspecies ''artemisiana'' (considered by some to be synonymous with ''longipennis'') breeds in Asia Minor and winters in southern west Asia. Subspecies ''longipennis'' breeds in Ukraine, Mongolia and Manchuria and winters in South Asia mainly in the drier zone of north-western India. The song varies between a dry twittering and a more varied and imitative melody. Flocks will often fly together to water in the mornings at favourite spots. In the evenings they roost in open ground, with each bird squatting in a small depression made in the soil.

Distribution and habitat

All but some southernmost populations are migratory, wintering south to the southern edge of the

Sahara , photo = Sahara real color.jpg , photo_caption = The Sahara taken by Apollo 17 astronauts, 1972 , map = , map_image = , location = , country = , country1 = , ...

and

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. This species is a fairly common wanderer to northern and western Europe in spring and autumn. Populations breeding in the Iberian Peninsula winter south of the Sahara in Africa. Here they prefer crop land and dry pastures with short shrubs while the syntopic Mediterranean short-toed larks (''Calandrella rufescens'') prefer drier areas. This is a common bird of dry open country and cultivation. It nests on the ground, laying two to three eggs. Its food is

seed A seed is an embryonic plant enclosed in a protective outer covering, along with a food reserve. The formation of the seed is a part of the process of reproduction in seed plants, the spermatophytes, including the gymnosperm and angiospe ...

s and insects, the latter especially in the breeding season. In colonial India, they were hunted for food as ortolans. They visit parts of South Asia in large flocks during winter and are sometimes attracted to short grass areas along aerodromes and become a bird strike risk to aircraft.

Gallery

File:NML-VZ T15738 NML-VZ T17770 NML-VZ T17771 NML-VZ T17773 Calandrella hermonensis.jpg, Syntypes of ''Calandrella hermonensis Tristram'' (NML-VZ T15738, NML-VZ T17770, NML-VZ T17771 and NML-VZ T17773) held at World Museum, National Museums Liverpool File:Greater Short-toed Lark Khangchendzonga National park West Sikkim India 31.03.2016.jpg, From Khangchendzonga National Park,

West Sikkim Gyalshing District or Geyzing District is a list of Indian districts, district of the Indian state of Sikkim. Its headquarter is Geyzing, also known as Gyalshing. The district is a favourite with trekkers due to the high elevations. Other impor ...

, India. File:Greater Short-toed Lark.jpg, Greater Short-toed Lark File:Calandrella brachydactyla MHNT.jpg, Eggs of '' Calandrella brachydactyla '' - MHNT

References

External links

Videos, photos and sounds
- Internet Bird Collection
Ageing and sexing (PDF; 2.9 MB) by Javier Blasco-Zumeta & Gerd-Michael Heinze
{{Taxonbar, from=Q24843

greater short-toed lark The greater short-toed lark (''Calandrella brachydactyla'') is a small passerine bird. The current scientific name is from Ancient Greek. The genus name, ''Calandrella'', is a diminutive of ''kalandros'', the calandra lark, and ''brachydactila'' ...

Birds of Southern Europe Birds of Western Asia Birds of Central Asia Birds of North Africa Birds of Africa