Hume's Lark
Calandrella acutirostris
Small, pale brown lark. Sandy-colored above and whitish below, with distinct white eyebrows and a slender bill. Greater Short-toed Lark is extremely similar, and distinguished only with difficulty; in Hume’s, look out for a plainer and relatively unstreaked crown, more contrastingly white eyebrows, and a more slender bill. The same combination of characteristics, along with a plain unmarked chest, can also be used to eliminate Asian Short-toed Lark. Clean underparts, lack of a strong crest, and size serve to distinguish Hume’s from other larks. Breeds in high-altitude steppe and plateau regions, in dry areas with sparse vegetation; winters in similar habitat at lower elevations. Song flight is composed of jumbled whistled, warbled, and harsher buzzing notes with long pauses between phrases; includes more whistling than similar-sounding Greater Short-toed Lark, and averages shorter-phrased in full song flight and slower overall. Call is a rolling, buzzy “cheeer,” drier and more rattling than that of Greater Short-toed.
Identification
Hume's short-toed lark is similar in size and appearance to the greater short-toed lark but is generally a duller-looking bird with slightly darker plumage and a slightly smaller beak. As with the greater short-toed lark, the colour varies across the broad range and is not a good distinguishing feature. Hume's short-toed lark grows to a length of from 13 to 14 cm (5.1 to 5.5 in) and the sexes are similar. The crown is brown with slight diffuse streaking, the cheeks are rufous-brown and the supercilium white. The upper parts are greyish-brown or sandy brown with darker streaking, and the upper tail coverts are washed with rufous-brown. The wings are greyish-brown with black barring and pale tips to the feathers. The underparts are mostly whitish, but there is a dark neck patch and a buffish-grey breast band. The breast is unstreaked. The voice helps distinguish this species; vocalisations include a shrill "trree" and a more rolling "drreep".
Taxonomy
The name commemorates the British naturalist Allan Octavian Hume who described the species. The alternate name short-toed lark may also be used for three other species in the genus Calandrella. The alternate name lesser short-toed lark should not be confused with the species of the same name, Alaudala rufescens. Other alternate names for Hume's short-toed lark include Hume's lark and Karakoram short-toed lark.<p>Two subspecies are recognized:
- Scientific name
- Calandrella acutirostris
- Authority
- Hume, 1873
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Alaudidae
- Genus
- Calandrella
Range and habitat
- Breeding range
- PAL : sc
- Non-breeding range
- n India
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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Siberian Accentor
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