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Thekla's Lark (Galerida theklae) Alternate name(s): "Thekla Lark" German name(s): "Theklalerche" Size: 15-17 cm; wing span: 28-32 cm Body mass: 30-40 g Wing loading [g/cm2]: 0.19-0.25

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 Thekla's Larks are medium-sized 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-brown. The short bill has a slightly darker top and tip than the rest. The lower mandible is slightly convex. The legs and feet are greyish-pink.

Taxonomy, classification See Thekla's 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 Thekla's Lark is available HERE . There are 12 extant races of Thekla's Lark, which are sedentary throughout their range. Their overall range comprises Iberia, northern near-coastal Africa from Libya to Western Sahara and sub-Saharan Africa from the Senegal to Somalia, with a stronghold in Ethiopia. In Europe Thekla's Lark is present only in most of Iberia, the Baleraic Islands and a small area on the far-southern French Mediterranean coast near the base of the Pyrenees. Thekla's Larks have a preference for open, often semi-arid to arid, habitats, sometimes also at altitude, such as dry steppe, apparently barren mountain slopes or areas dominated by shrubs on sandy soil such as the edges of dry creek beds. They do not use man-made habitats, such as agricultural fields, as much as the Crested Lark.

Sightings Click here for sighting information Race "theklae" J. Pires reports spotting Thekla's Lark, nominate race "theklae", semi-regularly in various locations in southern to central Portugal. M. Eaton reports finding a Thekla's Lark, nominate race "theklae", in Mequinenza, Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain, in September 2019.

Photos

Race "theklae"

This race is also called the "Iberian Thekla's Lark".

ADULT

Sex unknown

Frontal view of Thekla's Lark (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Raia River, Mora, Evora, Portugal, April 2020]

Frontal view of Thekla's Lark (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Sagres, Algarve, Portugal, October 2019]

Frontal view of Thekla's Lark looking sideways (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Mequinenza, Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain, in September 2019]

Near-lateral view of Thekla's Lark (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Sagres, Algarve, Portugal, October 2019]

Near-lateral view of Thekla's Lark (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Monte da Vilarica, Assares, Tras os Montes, Portugal, May 2018]

Near-lateral view of Thekla's Lark - note the convex lower mandible (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, February 2016]

Near-lateral/ventral view of a Thekla's Lark (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Mequinenza, Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain, in September 2019]

Close-up lateral view of Thekla's Lark (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, February 2015]

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

Lateral view of Thekla's Lark (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Sorraia River, Santa Justa, Coruche, Santarem, Portugal, February 2020]

Lateral view of Thekla's Lark (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, May 2020]

Lateral view of Thekla's Lark; note that, of several photos of the same bird shown on this page, this is the only angle at which one can see the convex curvature of the lower mandible (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Sagres, Algarve, Portugal, October 2019]

Lateral view of Thekla's Lark (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, April 2019]

Lateral view of Thekla's Lark (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, April 2019]

Lateral view of Thekla's Lark (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Cabo de Sao Vicente, Sagres, Vila do Bispo, Algarve, Portugal, November 2021]

Near-dorsal view of Thekla's Lark (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, March 2020]

Near-dorsal view of Thekla's Lark (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Sapal de Venta Moinhos, Castro Marim, Vila Real de Sao Antonio, Algarve, Portugal, November 2021]

Near-dorsal view of Thekla's Lark (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, February 2020]

Dorsal view of Thekla's Lark looking sideways (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, October 2020]

Dorsal view of Thekla's Lark (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Sagres, Algarve, Portugal, October 2019]

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Near-lateral view of a juvenile Thekla's Lark; note the yellow gape (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, July 2018]

Lateral view of a juvenile Thekla's Lark; note the yellow gape (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Pavia, Mora, Evora, Portugal, May 2025]

Behaviour

Social behaviour: Territorial

Mobility: Sedentary

Elementary unit: Solitary/pair

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.

theklrk_jp_20200424.m4a	(Portugal)	Territorial song(?)	© JP
theklrk_jp_20200424_2.m4a	(Portugal)	Territorial song(?)	© JP
theklrk_jp_20200412.m4a	(Portugal)	Territorial song(?)	© JP

More Thekla's 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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