Greater Short-toed Lark
Calandrella brachydactyla
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderPasseriformes (Perching Birds)
- FamilyAlaudidae (Larks)
- GenusCalandrella (Calandrella Short-toed Larks)
- SpeciesCalandrella brachydactyla (Greater Short-toed Lark)
About the 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 is from brakhus, "short", and daktulos, "toe".
It breeds in southern Europe, north-west Africa, and across the Palearctic 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.
The greater short-toed lark was described by the German naturalist Johann Leisler in 1814 and given the binomial name Alauda brachydactila. This lark is now placed in the genus Calandrella that was established by another German naturalist, Johann Jakob Kaup, in 1829. The specific name brachydactyla is from the Ancient Greek 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 of the greater short-toed lark (as C. b. dukhunensis) until split in 2016 by the IOC... Wikipedia →
Closest Relatives at Camargue
Crested Lark
Galerida cristata
Skylark
Alauda arvensis
Woodlark
Lullula arborea
Calandra Lark
Melanocorypha calandra
Cetti's Warbler
Cettia cetti
Sardinian Warbler
Curruca melanocephala
Barn Swallow
Hirundo rustica
Zitting Cisticola
Cisticola juncidis
Western Yellow Wagtail
Motacilla flava
Corn Bunting
Emberiza calandra
European Starling
Sturnus vulgaris
Common Chiffchaff
Phylloscopus collybita
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Doñana National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 2 | Monfragüe National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 3 | Ranthambore National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 4 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 5 | Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park | 🇲🇳 Mongolia | |
| 6 | Mudumalai National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 7 | Chitwan National Park | 🇳🇵 Nepal | |
| 8 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 9 | Keoladeo National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 10 | Sierra de Guadarrama National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 11 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 12 | Camargue | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 13 | Manas National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 14 | Satpura National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 15 | Yala National Park | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | |
| 16 | Kanha National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 17 | Sierra Nevada National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain |