Sand Lark Alaudala raytal Scientific name definitions

The Sand Lark (also known as the Indian Short-toed Lark) is a small, nondescript lark that occurs from southeastern Iran across the northern parts of the Indian Subcontinent to Myanmar. It prefers salt pans, coastal areas, and sandbanks along large rivers. It is closely related to the Mediterranean Short-toed Lark (Alaudala rufescens), the Turkestan Short-toed Lark (Alaudala heinei), and the Asian Short-toed Lark (Alaudala cheleensis), and has been considered to be conspecific with these species. The Sand Lark is a resident species and only makes short local movements in the non-breeding season. It has an impressive courtship display, and males are often seen fluttering their wings and singing in flight before and during the breeding season. The Sand Lark is very vocal and frequently utters calls also while feeding.

The Sand Lark is a little studied species, and its breeding biology is not well known. Three subspecies are recognized here, but the taxonomy of this species needs further study. The Sand Lark is widely distributed throughout India's suitable habitats, but it is also fairly common in other parts of its range, including coastal Iran, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, and Myanmar. This species is, at present, not treated as a threatened species.