Oriental Skylark

Alauda gulgula Franklin, 1831

15 cmLength26 gWeight

It is a small skylark of grassland that often shoots rapidly into the sky, singing in flight before landing again.

Busiest months: January–April and October · Most records: China, India, Thailand

Looks like Eurasian Skylark

Least Concern

How to identify

Field marks

Yellow-rufous upperparts with stripes
Short crest
White outer tail feathers
No white trailing edge to the wing in flight

Male, female and young

Sexes similar in appearance.

Similar species

Eurasian Skylark

Oriental Skylark is smaller than Eurasian Skylark, with a longer, more pointed bill, shorter tail and wings, more buff-colored outer tail feathers, and no white trailing edge to the wing in flight.

Where and when it's recorded

Oriental Skylark has been recorded at 760 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 26 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

Madayi ParaIndia1,421 records
Hessaraghatta KereIndia1,335 records
Hualien River Estuary IBATaiwan (China)1,189 records

More places

Stanley Reservoir – Pannavadi, MetturIndia1,073 records
Lanyang River Estuary IBA – Eastern RiverbedTaiwan (China)851 records
Baruipur MarshesIndia760 records
Penghu – Jibei IslandTaiwan (China)735 records
Kinmen – Shagang RanchChina659 records
Nanhui DongtanChina651 records
Lanyang River Estuary IBATaiwan (China)600 records

Countries and regions with the most records

China India Thailand Sri Lanka Laos Nepal Cambodia United Arab Emirates

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 Oriental skylark (Alauda gulgula) is a species of skylark found in the Sino-Indian region and parts of central Asia. Like other skylarks, it is found in open grassland where it feeds on seeds and insects.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Oriental Skylark?

The Oriental Skylark is about 15 cm long and weighs around 26 g.

Where does the Oriental Skylark live?

Its breeding range: Palearctic, Oriental: widespread, also Central Asia. It is most often recorded in China, India and Thailand.

When is the best time to see the Oriental Skylark?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in January, February, March, April and October (Northern Hemisphere).

Is the Oriental Skylark endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Oriental Skylark as Least Concern.

What does the Oriental Skylark eat?

Main food: Omnivore.

What family is the Oriental Skylark in?

It belongs to the family Larks (Alaudidae), order Passerines (Passeriformes).

At a glance

Length: 15 cm
Weight: 26 g
Habitat: Grassland
Diet: Omnivore
Lifestyle: Active on the ground
Migration: Partial migrant
Conservation: Least Concern

More measurements

Wing: 86 mm
Tail: 52 mm
Bill: 15 mm
Tarsus: 23 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

Palearctic, Oriental: widespread, also Central Asia

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Subspecies · 5

Alauda gulgula inopinata Tibetan Plateau and nw China
Alauda gulgula vernayi e Himalayas and sw China
Alauda gulgula weigoldi c, e China
Alauda gulgula coelivox s, se China, Hainan I. (off se China) and n Vietnam
Alauda gulgula wattersi Taiwan (China) and Philippines (except Palawan group and Sulu Arch.)