A long, slim pipit-like lark with a slender bill, a bold white eyebrow, and warm-and-dark spangled upperparts. Pairs forage for invertebrates in open thorny savanna, preferring short-cropped grass and open grazed fields. In a characteristic display the male flies low to the ground before flying directly up 8 to 10 meters, then closing its wings and plummeting to the ground while emitting a “weeeeoooo” whistle. It also gives a clear, very high-pitched “tseeet-tsooooe” and other whistles. Its range does not overlap with any of the similar long-billed larks. Rufous-naped Lark differs from Short-clawed Lark by being chunkier, with a crest and a rusty nape and wings; the smaller Sabota Lark is more compact, with bolder facial markings.