Calandrella brachydactyla
Silhouette: Gossipguy and T. Michael Keesey · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
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 |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Greater Short-toed Lark sighting in Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park on a given day, based on 8 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 111th most-seen of the 122 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Greater Short-toed Lark in Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season. January–April and October–November have too few records to rate.
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.
2nd of 8
Of the 8 parks where we can rate Greater Short-toed Lark sightings, Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park ranks 2nd at under 5%. The best odds are in Doñana National Park (Spain, about 10%).
Same family: Alaudidae
The closest relatives of the Greater Short-toed Lark that you can see in Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park (family Alaudidae, Larks) are Horned Lark (about 70%), Asian Short-toed Lark (about 30%) and Crested Lark (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Greater Short-toed Lark is recorded against all the birds logged in Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park (8 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.
