Jerdon's Bushlark

Jerdon's Bushlark

Mirafra affinis

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~60% · Likely
at Wilpattu National Park

In 3 days ~90% in a week >90%

260 Verified sightings at Wilpattu National Park From 2019 to 2026
1,361 In all 5 parks
August Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Jerdon's Bushlark

Jerdon's bush lark (Plocealauda affinis) or Jerdon's lark is a species of lark in the family Alaudidae found in south Asia. This was formerly placed in the genus Mirafra and considered as a subspecies of Mirafra assamica and termed as the Madras bushlark. Two other species in the complex include Mirafra marionae and Mirafra microptera. Jerdon's bush lark is typically very pale on the underside

The common name commemorates the surgeon-naturalist Thomas C. Jerdon. Formerly, Jerdon's bush lark was considered to be a subspecies of the Bengal bush lark (as M. assamica affinis) until studies of differences in call and distribution led to it being treated as a separate species. However, not all authorities recognize this species split.

The species is monotypic: no subspecies are recognised. Jerdon's bush lark was formerly placed in the genus Mirafra but was one of five species moved to the newly erected genus Plocealauda based on evidence from a large molecular genetic study published in 2023.

Jerdon's bush lark has arrowhead-like spots pointing upwards on the breast. It is very similar to the Indian bush lark (M. erythroptera) but has buffy...

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Sounds

Song0:34

Sri Lanka · 2022

© Okamoto Keita Sin · XC756564 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Call0:11

India · 2021

© Sathyan Meppayur · XC744709 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Call0:23

Sri Lanka · 2021

© THILANKA EDIRISINGHE · XC647403 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Udawalawe National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
~60%
2 Wilpattu National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
~60%
3 Yala National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
~50%
4 Mudumalai National Park 🇮🇳 India
~30%
5 Minneriya National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
~20%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Chennai 🇮🇳 India
~10%
2 Tiruppur 🇮🇳 India
~10%
3 Puducherry 🇮🇳 India
~10%
4 Mysuru 🇮🇳 India
~10%
5 Bhubaneshwar 🇮🇳 India
~10%
6 Tiruchirappalli 🇮🇳 India
<5%
7 Bengaluru 🇮🇳 India
<5%
8 Kochi 🇮🇳 India
<5%
9 Coimbatore 🇮🇳 India
<5%
10 Thrissur 🇮🇳 India
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Jerdon's Bushlark in Wilpattu National Park?

Likely

About 60% of wildlife watchers report a Jerdon's Bushlark sighting in Wilpattu National Park on a given day, based on 260 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 26th most-seen of the 176 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 90%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Jerdon's Bushlark in Wilpattu National Park?

May and August

In those months about 70% of wildlife watchers report a Jerdon's Bushlark in Wilpattu National Park on a given day, against about 10% in October, the lowest month.

What time of day is best to see a Jerdon's Bushlark?

Between 7 and 10 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Jerdon's Bushlark sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Wilpattu National Park the best place to see a Jerdon's Bushlark?

Among the best

Of the 5 parks where we can rate Jerdon's Bushlark sightings, Wilpattu National Park ranks 2nd at about 60%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Udawalawe National Park (Sri Lanka, about 60%). All parks ranked.

Where does the Jerdon's Bushlark sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Jerdon's Bushlark is recorded against all the birds logged in Wilpattu National Park (260 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.

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