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Crested Lark (Galerida cristata) German name(s): "Haubenlerche" Size: 17-19 cm; wing span: 29-38 cm Body mass: 37-55 g Wing loading [g/cm2]: 0.18-0.28

Europe: Family Group 26 Family Group 26 Table Crested Lark Thekla's Lark Zitting Cisticola Great Reed Warbler Eurasian Reed Warbler Sedge Warbler Marsh Warbler Savi's Warbler Icterine Warbler Melodious Warbler Cetti's Warbler Moustached Warbler Redwing Fieldfare Mistle Thrush Song Thrush Ring Ouzel Common Blackbird Common Starling Spotless Starling Rosy Starling Thumbnails page Family group table Index of bird names European birds home page

Similar species

Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description Click here for a physical description Crested Larks are relatively large compared with other Eurasian larks. Their plumage is cryptic. The general colour pattern of their crown, neck and back is grey-brown with grey streaking. The ear coverts, which are also grey-brown, have a narrow off-white margin. Most races have off-white to creamy eye-rings. Their most prominent feature is an erectile crest of the same colours. The front, from the chin down to the undertail coverts, is grey, except for the breast, which is heavily streaked grey. The wing coverts are also grey-brown, with dark-grey central chevrons. The flight feathers are dark-grey with wide grey-brown edges, while the uppertail is grey. The irises are dark. The long, slightly downcurved bill has a grey top and a grey tip of the lower mandible. Otherwise it is horn-coloured. The legs and feet are greyish-pink.

Taxonomy, classification See Crested Lark at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species Click here for information on habitat and range The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found, based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org . The global distribution of the Crested Lark is available HERE . At present more than 30 different races of Crested Larks are listed, which altogether populate large parts of Europe and Asia. They are present in almost all of northern Africa around the Sahara desert and as far southward as Kenya in the East of the continent. They are also found in all of Europe, except the British Isles and Scandinavia and further eastward, to about the Baltic states and southward to the northern coast of the Black Sea. In addition, they are found in all of Asia Minor, Arabia and mid-latitude and southern Asia, including the Indian subcontinent and as far to the East as Korea and Japan (but not South-east Asia); for details see e.g. Wikipedia. In Europe there are 5 different races of Crested Larks. The range of nominate race "cristata" extends from parts of France to southern Scandinavia and from there eastward to Ukraine and Hungary. In Iberia there is race "pallida". Race "meridionalis" is found from eastern Croatia to central Greece and western Turkey. Race "neumanni" exists in western central Italy. Race "tenuirostris" resides in an area spanning from eastern Hungary and Romania eastward into southern European Russia (and beyond). Crested Larks have a preference for open habitats, such as open grassland, beaches, or sandy plains. They are also often found on agricultural land, including fallow fields.

Sightings Click here for sighting information Race "cristata" In the past (1970ies) we used to find Crested Larks, nominate race "cristata", occasionally on fields with commercial crops around Wittlich, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany. At present there is no photo available of this race. Race "pallida" J. Pires reports spotting Crested Larks, race "pallida", regularly in and around Mora, Evora, Portugal. They were also found at the Minutor Dam near Montemor o Novo, Evora, Portugal, and in Sagres, Algarve, Portugal. Another was found at Badajoz, Badajoz province, Spain, in January 2023. Race "meridionalis" S. Cuturilov reports spotting Crested Larks, race "meridionalis", in Paralia, Greece, in September 2017. Others were found by A. Sarok in Vojvodina, Serbia, in the timeframe 2010-2024. Race "caucasica" D. Wilczynska reports finding Crested Larks, race "caucasica", in Georgia in June 2018. Race "brachyura" Crested Larks, race "brachyura", were found in Arabia.

Photos

Race "pallida"

This race is also called the "Iberian Crested Lark".

ADULT

PAIR

Lateral/near-dorsal view of a pair of Crested Larks (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Sorraia river, Couco, Coruche, Santarem, Portugal, February 2021]

MALE

Dorsal view of a Crested Lark; based on its behaviour, this is very likely a male (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, November 2018]

Sex unknown

Full-frontal view of a Crested Lark; note the two types of steaking - bold on the chest, fine on belly and flanks
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Tesas, Mora, Evora, Portugal, February 2022]

Frontal view of a Crested Lark ducking low to the ground (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Sagres, Algarve, Portugal, October 2019]

Frontal view of a Crested Lark looking sideways (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, October 2018]

Near-frontal view of a Crested Lark ducking low to the ground (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Sagres, Algarve, Portugal, October 2019]

Near-lateral view of a Crested Lark looking towards the observer; this is the bird whose calls were recorded on 10 April 2020 (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, April 2020]

Near-lateral view of a Crested Lark ducking low to the ground (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Sagres, Algarve, Portugal, October 2019]

Lateral view of a Crested Lark looking at the observer (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Sagres, Algarve, Portugal, October 2019]

Lateral view of a Crested Lark looking towards the observer (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Sagres, Algarve, Portugal, October 2019]

Lateral view of a Crested Lark looking towards the observer (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Raia river, Mora, Evora, Portugal, January 2022]

Lateral view of a Crested Lark (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Minutos Dam, near Montemor o Novo, Evora, Portugal, January 2019]

Lateral view of a Crested Lark (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, March 2018]

Lateral view of a Crested Lark (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Sorraia river, Couco, Coruche, Santarem, Portugal, February 2021]

Lateral view of a Crested Lark (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Raia river, Mora, Evora, Portugal, March 2023]

Lateral view of a Crested Lark (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, May 2019]

Near-dorsal view of a Crested Lark (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Badajoz, Badajoz province, Spain, January 2023]

Near-dorsal view of a Crested Lark (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, March 2019]

Close-up near-dorsal view of a Crested Lark (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, May 2014]

Near-dorsal view of a Crested Lark (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, May 2019]

Dorsal view of a Crested Lark looking back at the observer (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, May 2020]

Dorsal view of a Crested Lark looking sideways (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Raia river, Mora, Evora, Portugal, March 2023]

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Near-dorsal view of a juvenile Crested Lark with its prey, a caterpillar; note the buff edge lining of the wing feathers
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, July 2022]

Race "meridionalis"

This race is also called the "Greecian Crested Lark".

ADULT

PAIR

Lateral view of a pair of Crested Larks on a beach (photo courtesy of S. Cuturilov)
[Paralia, Greece, September 2017]

Sex unknown

Lateral view of a Crested Lark with its prey, a hairy caterpillar (photo courtesy of A. Sarok)
[Vojvodina, Serbia, date unknown]

Lateral view of a Crested Lark (photo courtesy of S. Cuturilov)
[Paralia, Greece, September 2017]

Lateral view of a Crested Lark using a heap of straw as its elevated perch (photo courtesy of S. Cuturilov)
[Paralia, Greece, September 2017]

Near-dorsal view of a Crested Lark that has found something to eat, which looks like some kind of seed
(photo courtesy of S. Cuturilov)
[Paralia, Greece, September 2017]

Race "caucasica"

This race is also called the "Caucasian Crested Lark". Although found just beyond the boundaries of Europe, we show it here for completeness.

ADULT

Sex unknown

Near-lateral view of a Crested Lark (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[June 2018]

Lateral view of a Crested Lark (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[June 2018]

Race "brachyura"

Photos of Crested Larks, race "brachyura", are available from Arabia.

Breeding information

Breeding season: Mar - Aug

Eggs: 3 - 5

Incubation period: 11 - 12 days

Fledging age: 15 - 16 days

The length of the breeding season depends on geographic latitude and can start in February in southern parts of the range. Crested Larks usually raise two broods per season.

Chicks are precocial and will leave the nest around 8 days of age.

Nest building: Female(?)

Incubation: Female

Dependent care: Female & male(?)

Nest

Type: Basket in scrape

Material: Grass

Height above ground: N/A

View from above into a Crested Lark nest with 3(?) chicks inside (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, May 2013]

Eggs

Size: 24 x 18 mm

Colour: Light greyish-brown, with small darker grey and brown speckles

Shape: Tapered oval

Behaviour

Social behaviour: Territorial

Mobility: Mostly sedentary

Elementary unit: Solitary/pair

Food, Diet

Lateral view of a Crested Lark with its prey, a hairy caterpillar (photo courtesy of A. Sarok)
[Vojvodina, Serbia, date unknown]

Lateral view of a Crested Lark with its prey, a grasshopper (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, June 2014]

Near-dorsal view of a juvenile Crested Lark with its prey, a caterpillar; note the buff edge lining of the wing feathers
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, July 2022]

Crested Lark collecting food for its brood (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, May 2019]

Call(s)/Song

For this species we have recorded the following call(s)/song. The interpretation of their meaning is our own; comments and suggestions for improvement are welcome.

crstlrk_jp_20201023.m4a	pallida (Portugal)	Territorial calls	© JP
crstlrk_jp_20200412.m4a	pallida (Portugal)	Territorial calls (+ European Greenfinch)	© JP
crstlrk_jp_20200410.m4a	pallida (Portugal)	Territorial calls(?)	© JP
crstlrk_jp_20200503.m4a	pallida (Portugal)	?	© JP

More Crested Lark sound recordings are available at xeno-canto.org .

These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.

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