Calandrella brachydactyla
Silhouette: Gossipguy and T. Michael Keesey · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
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. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Doñana National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 2 | Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park | 🇲🇳 Mongolia | |
| 3 | Ranthambore National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 4 | Mudumalai National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 5 | Chitwan National Park | 🇳🇵 Nepal | |
| 6 | Monfragüe National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 7 | Keoladeo National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 8 | Sierra de Guadarrama National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Greater Short-toed Lark sighting in Doñana National Park on a given day, based on 226 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 124th most-seen of the 234 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March to September
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Greater Short-toed Lark in Doñana National Park on a given day, against under 5% in October to February, the lowest months.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Greater Short-toed Lark sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 8 parks where we can rate Greater Short-toed Lark sightings, Doñana National Park has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park (Mongolia, under 5%) and Ranthambore National Park (India, under 5%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Greater Short-toed Lark is recorded against all the birds logged in Doñana National Park (226 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
