Galerida malabarica
Silhouette: Gossipguy and T. Michael Keesey · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
The Malabar lark, or Malabar crested lark (Galerida malabarica) is a species of lark in the family Alaudidae found in western India. Originally, the Malabar lark was classified in the genus Alauda before being moved to its present genus. Also, some authorities have considered the Thekla lark to be a subspecies of the Malabar lark.
This is a smallish lark, slightly smaller than the Eurasian skylark. It has a long spiky erectile crest. It is greyer than the skylark, and lacks the white wing and tail edges of that species, which is a winter visitor to India.
It is very similar to the crested lark, which breeds in northern India. The Malabar lark is smaller and dark-streaked reddish brown in plumage, whereas the crested lark is grey. The belly is white. The sexes are similar.
Sykes's lark is another Indian relative that also has reddish-brown plumage, but is smaller, shorter-billed, with a stiff upright crest and has plain rufous underparts. The Malabar lark is found in western India. It is a common bird of open country, cultivation and scrub, often at some altitude. The Malabar lark... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mudumalai National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 2 | Bandipur National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 3 | Nagarhole National Park | 🇮🇳 India |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Malabar Lark sighting in Nagarhole National Park on a given day, based on 55 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 174th most-seen of the 272 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.
August
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Malabar Lark in Nagarhole National Park on a given day, against under 5% in February–July and October–December, the lowest months. That is one of Nagarhole National Park's wettest months, with about 230 mm of rain against 10 mm in February.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Malabar 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.
3rd of 3
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Malabar Lark sightings, Nagarhole National Park ranks 3rd at under 5%. The best odds are in Mudumalai National Park (India, about 20%) and Bandipur National Park (India, under 5%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Malabar Lark is recorded against all the birds logged in Nagarhole National Park (55 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.
