Calandrella raytal
Silhouette: Gossipguy and T. Michael Keesey · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~30%
The sand lark (Alaudala raytal) is a small passerine bird in the lark family, Alaudidae, found in southern Asia. It is somewhat similar to, but smaller than the short-toed larks. The sand lark was originally assigned to the genus Alauda. It was later placed in the genus Calandrella until it was moved back to Alaudala in 2014 although not all authorities have recognized this change yet. The alternate name Asian short-toed lark is usually used to refer to the species of the same name, Alaudala cheleensis. Other alternate names include Ganges sand lark, Indian sand lark and Indian short-toed lark.
The sand lark is about 12 or 13 cm (4.7 or 5.1 in) long. There is considerable geographic variation and three subspecies are recognized. All subspecies are dull brownish grey with faintly streaked... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chitwan National Park | 🇳🇵 Nepal | |
| 2 | Royal Bardia National Park | 🇳🇵 Nepal | |
| 3 | Manas National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 4 | Kaziranga National Park | 🇮🇳 India |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Sand Lark sighting in Royal Bardia National Park on a given day, based on 17 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 162nd most-seen of the 233 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March, June and December–January
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Sand Lark in Royal Bardia National Park on a given day, against under 5% in February, April–May, July and September–November, the lowest months. Those are among Royal Bardia National Park's driest months, with about 80 mm of rain a month against 590 mm in July. August has too few records to rate.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Sand 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.
Among the best
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Sand Lark sightings, Royal Bardia National Park ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Chitwan National Park (Nepal, about 10%).
Same order: Passeriformes
The closest relatives of the Sand Lark that you can see in Royal Bardia National Park (order Passeriformes, Perching Birds) are Black-hooded Oriole (about 60%), Red-whiskered Bulbul (about 60%) and Rufous Treepie (about 60%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Sand Lark is recorded against all the birds logged in Royal Bardia National Park (17 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.
