Bird Album
Turkestan Short-toed Lark
Alaudala heinei (Homeyer, 1873)
≈14 cmLength24 gWeight
It is a lark of open steppe, with some individuals migrating.
Busiest months: May · Most records: Azerbaijan, Türkiye, Kazakhstan
How to identify
Where and when it's recorded
Turkestan Short-toed Lark has been recorded at 66 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 19 countries and regions.
Records by month Northern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Besh Barmag bottleneckAzerbaijan391 records
- Mogan Gölü Sel KapanıTürkiye227 records
- Taukum DesertKazakhstan180 records
More places
- Shirvan NPAzerbaijan127 records
- Qanbarabad ReservoirIran126 records
- Salehiyeh Intermittent Wetlands (West Field)Iran80 records
- restricted accessArmenia73 records
- Abraq Al-HabariKuwait68 records
- Irakhiya FarmQatar63 records
- Mogan Gölü – Genel AlanTürkiye50 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 Turkestan short-toed lark (Alaudala heinei) is a species of lark in the family Alaudidae. It is found in Ukraine and central Turkey through parts of Central Asia and southern Siberia west to south-central Mongolia and south to southern Afghanistan. This species and the Mediterranean short-toed lark (A. rufescens) were formerly considered conspecific and called the lesser short-toed lark, but a 2020 study recovered them as distinct species.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Turkestan Short-toed Lark?
The Turkestan Short-toed Lark is about ≈14 cm long and weighs around 24 g.
Where does the Turkestan Short-toed Lark live?
Its breeding range: Palearctic: northeastern Romania, Ukraine and central Turkey to south-central Mongolia, northeastern, eastern Arabian Peninsula and southern Afghanistan. It is most often recorded in Azerbaijan, Türkiye and Kazakhstan.
When is the best time to see the Turkestan Short-toed Lark?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in May (Northern Hemisphere).
Is the Turkestan Short-toed Lark endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Turkestan Short-toed Lark as Least Concern.
What does the Turkestan Short-toed Lark eat?
Main food: Omnivore.
What family is the Turkestan Short-toed Lark in?
It belongs to the family Larks (Alaudidae), order Passerines (Passeriformes).
At a glance
- Length
- ≈14 cm
- Weight
- 24 g
- Habitat
- Grassland
- Diet
- Omnivore
- Lifestyle
- Active on the ground
- Migration
- Partial migrant
- Conservation
- Least Concern
More measurements
- Wing
- 86 mm
- Tail
- 54 mm
- Bill
- 10 mm
- Tarsus
- 18 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
Palearctic: northeastern Romania, Ukraine and central Turkey to south-central Mongolia, northeastern, eastern Arabian Peninsula and southern Afghanistan
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Classification
- Order
- Passerines Passeriformes
- Family
- Larks Alaudidae
- Genus
- Alaudala
Other birds in the genus Alaudala
Asian Short-toed LarkAlaudala cheleensis
Somali Short-toed LarkAlaudala somalica
Mediterranean Short-toed LarkAlaudala rufescens
Sand LarkAlaudala raytal
Greater Hoopoe-LarkAlaemon alaudipes
Lesser Hoopoe-LarkAlaemon hamertoni
Beesley's LarkChersomanes beesleyi
Spike-heeled LarkChersomanes albofasciata
Gray's LarkAmmomanopsis grayi
Short-clawed LarkCerthilauda chuana
Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Ani Sarkisyan. ↗
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