Bird Album
Crested Lark
Galerida cristata (Linnaeus, 1758)
≈19 cmLength43 gWeight
It is a small brown bird with an always-prominent crest that becomes more conspicuous during song and courtship.
Busiest months: March–April and October · Most records: Spain, Portugal, Israel
Looks like Eurasian Skylark
How to identify
Field marks
- Prominent crest on the crown
- Brown overall
- Short tail with pale brown outer tail feathers
- Reddish-brown underwing in flight
Male, female and young
No obvious differences between the sexes; juvenile has more spots on the back than the adult.
Voice
Melodious song, like “whee-whee-wheeoo” or “twee-tee-too”, given both high in the air and on the ground.
Similar species
Where and when it's recorded
Crested Lark has been recorded at 816 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 80 countries and regions.
Records by month Northern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Desembocadura del Guadalhorce – ÁreaSpain3,943 records
- International Birding and Research Center Eilat (IBRCE)Israel3,297 records
- Private estate near Green MubazzarahUnited Arab Emirates3,160 records
More places
- Lezíria Grande de Vila Franca de Xira – área geralPortugal3,026 records
- Lagoa dos SalgadosPortugal2,664 records
- El Oso – Laguna y entornoSpain2,600 records
- Azud de RiolobosSpain2,210 records
- Ria de Alvor – área geralPortugal1,872 records
- Sureste PNat – Ruta del Soto GutiérrezSpain1,698 records
- El Estrecho PNat – Los LancesSpain1,653 records
Countries and regions with the most records
eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.
About
The crested lark (Galerida cristata) is a species of lark widespread across Eurasia and northern Africa. It is a non-migratory bird, but can occasionally be found as a vagrant in Great Britain.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Crested Lark?
The Crested Lark is about ≈19 cm long and weighs around 43 g.
Where does the Crested Lark live?
Its breeding range: Palearctic, Africa: widespread. It is most often recorded in Spain, Portugal and Israel.
When is the best time to see the Crested Lark?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in March, April and October (Northern Hemisphere).
Is the Crested Lark endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Crested Lark as Least Concern.
What does the Crested Lark eat?
Main food: Omnivore.
What family is the Crested Lark in?
It belongs to the family Larks (Alaudidae), order Passerines (Passeriformes).
At a glance
- Length
- ≈19 cm
- Weight
- 43 g
- Habitat
- Grassland
- Diet
- Omnivore
- Lifestyle
- Active on the ground
- Migration
- Resident (barely migrates)
- Conservation
- Least Concern
More measurements
- Wing
- 103 mm
- Tail
- 62 mm
- Bill
- 20 mm
- Tarsus
- 25 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
Palearctic, Africa: widespread
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Subspecies · 2
- Galerida cristata magna c Iran and c Turkmenistan to nw Pakistan, Kazakhstan, s Mongolia and nw China
- Galerida cristata leautungensis ne, e China
Classification
- Order
- Passerines Passeriformes
- Family
- Larks Alaudidae
- Genus
- Galerida
Other birds in the genus Galerida
Sykes's LarkGalerida deva
Sun LarkGalerida modesta
Large-billed LarkGalerida magnirostris
Thekla's LarkGalerida theklae
Malabar LarkGalerida malabarica
Greater Hoopoe-LarkAlaemon alaudipes
Lesser Hoopoe-LarkAlaemon hamertoni
Beesley's LarkChersomanes beesleyi
Spike-heeled LarkChersomanes albofasciata
Gray's LarkAmmomanopsis grayi
Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by El Golli Mohamed. ↗
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