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26

Crested Lark (Galerida cristata) Size: 17-19 cm; wing span 29-38 cm Weight: 40-50 g

Oman: Family Group 26 Family Group 26 Table Crested Lark Marsh Warbler Clamorous Reed Warbler Eastern Olivaceous Warbler Upcher's Warbler Graceful Prinia Streaked Scrub Warbler White-eared Bulbul Yellow-vented Bulbul Red-vented Bulbul Common Myna(h) Thumbnails page Classification table Index of bird names 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 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 37 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. Crested Larks are well-adapted to life in marginal, in particular semi-arid habitats and they are present basically everywhere in Arabia except the arid quarter.

Sightings Click here for sighting information Race "brachyura" Staying mostly in open country, Crested Larks can be hard to approach. We had seen males of the species several times over months before obtaining a first photo. They were finally photographed in a wadi on the fringes of the Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, Oman, during the 2010 breeding season. Crested Larks, race "brachyura" were also seen in a wadi near Qurm in December 2009. The photos presented below that were taken in May 2010 were obtained at Sun Farms, Sohar (Batinah region). Special permission to enter the premises for bird photography is hereby most gratefully acknowledged. Race "meridionalis" Crested Larks, race "meridionalis", were found in Europe.

Photos

Race "brachyura"

This race is also called the "North-east Libyan Crested Lark".

ADULT

MALE

Frontal view of a male Crested Lark issuing its song
[Sun Farms, Sohar, May 2010]

Frontal view of a male Crested Lark scratching its head
[Sun Farms, Sohar, May 2010]

Frontal view of a male Crested Lark looking downward
[Sun Farms, Sohar, May 2010]

Close-up near-lateral/ventral view of a male Crested Lark
[Sun Farms, Sohar, May 2010]

Sex unknown

Lateral view of a Crested Lark
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, April 2010]

Lateral view of a Crested Lark inspecting something on the ground
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, April 2010]

Near-dorsal view of a moulting Crested Lark
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, February 2010]

Near-dorsal view of a Crested Lark with a proper crest
[Campus of Sultan Qaboos University, near Muscat, April 2010]

Race "meridionalis"

Photos of Crested Larks, race "meridionalis", are available from Europe.

Food, Diet

Partly obscured near-dorsal view of a Crested Lark foraging on the ground
[Sun Farms, Sohar, May 2010]

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.

Would you like to contribute photos or sound recordings to this site? If interested, please CLICK HERE. Credits to contributors are given HERE.

Disclaimer: Comments are always welcome. We give no guarantee that the information presented on these pages is always correct or up-to-date. External links are marked as such and we take no responsibility for the contents of external pages. All images on this site are protected by copyright & used by permission of the respective owners. If you wish to reproduce them or any of the material presented on this web site, please contact us: We hereby acknowledge the original custodians of the land which is described on these pages, including the Gomeroi/Gamilaraay people of the North-west Slopes and Plains of NSW, and the traditional owners of other lands and nations within this country. We acknowledge elders past, present and emerging. Sovereignty was never ceded.          Last updated: Tue, 30 May 2023, 21:58 +00:00