Identification
Small, pale brown lark. Sandy-colored above and whitish below, with distinct white eyebrows and a slender bill. Greater Short-toed Lark is extremely similar, and distinguished only with difficulty; in Hume’s, look out for a plainer and relatively unstreaked crown, more contrastingly white eyebrows, and a more slender bill. The same combination of characteristics, along with a plain unmarked chest, can also be used to eliminate Asian Short-toed Lark. Clean underparts, lack of a strong crest, and size serve to distinguish Hume’s from other larks. Breeds in high-altitude steppe and plateau regions, in dry areas with sparse vegetation; winters in similar habitat at lower elevations. Song flight is composed of jumbled whistled, warbled, and harsher buzzing notes with long pauses between phrases; includes more whistling than similar-sounding Greater Short-toed Lark, and averages shorter-phrased in full song flight and slower overall. Call is a rolling, buzzy “cheeer,” drier and more rattling than that of Greater Short-toed.