Bird Album
Mongolian Short-toed Lark
Calandrella dukhunensis (Sykes, 1832)
≈15 cmLength21 gWeight
It is a short-toed lark that is darker and has a shorter bill than Greater Short-toed Lark.
Busiest months: November · Most records: India, China, Thailand
Looks like Greater Short-toed Lark
How to identify
Field marks
- Darker overall than Greater Short-toed Lark
- Shorter bill than Greater Short-toed Lark
Similar species
Where and when it's recorded
Mongolian Short-toed Lark has been recorded at 135 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 9 countries and regions.
Records by month Northern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Madayi ParaIndia272 records
- KattampallyIndia245 records
- Changaram Wetlands – EzhupunnaIndia69 records
More places
- Osman Sagar LakeIndia64 records
- Mamachi Wadi Beach, ArnalaIndia62 records
- Mae Ai – Mae Fang paddiesThailand60 records
- Vetal Tekdi/HillIndia57 records
- Mae Faek paddiesThailand52 records
- KerawalapitiyaSri Lanka40 records
- EzhomeIndia39 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 Mongolian short-toed lark or Sykes's short-toed lark (Calandrella dukhunensis) is a species of lark in the family Alaudidae. It breeds in China and Mongolia and winters in southern Asia.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Mongolian Short-toed Lark?
The Mongolian Short-toed Lark is about ≈15 cm long and weighs around 21 g.
Where does the Mongolian Short-toed Lark live?
Its breeding range: Palearctic: eastern Mongolia, north-central China. It is most often recorded in India, China and Thailand.
When is the best time to see the Mongolian Short-toed Lark?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in November (Northern Hemisphere).
Is the Mongolian Short-toed Lark endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Mongolian Short-toed Lark as Least Concern.
What does the Mongolian Short-toed Lark eat?
Main food: Omnivore.
What family is the Mongolian Short-toed Lark in?
It belongs to the family Larks (Alaudidae), order Passerines (Passeriformes).
At a glance
- Length
- ≈15 cm
- Weight
- 21 g
- Habitat
- Grassland
- Diet
- Omnivore
- Lifestyle
- Active on the ground
- Migration
- Partial migrant
- Conservation
- Least Concern
More measurements
- Wing
- 94 mm
- Tail
- 60 mm
- Bill
- 13 mm
- Tarsus
- 20 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
Palearctic: eastern Mongolia, north-central China
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Classification
- Order
- Passerines Passeriformes
- Family
- Larks Alaudidae
- Genus
- Calandrella
Other birds in the genus Calandrella
Hume's Short-toed LarkCalandrella acutirostris
Blanford's LarkCalandrella blanfordi
Rufous-capped LarkCalandrella eremica
Red-capped LarkCalandrella cinerea
Greater Short-toed LarkCalandrella brachydactyla
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 amila_salgado2025. ↗
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