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Bar tailed lark? S of tehran iran, today (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter alirezakiani
- Start date
Helluva big beak on it. Like a v. pale calandra.
Alexander Stöhr
Well-known member
Hello,
I think this is one for the real experts. I think, wings are not long enough and head pattern to plain/weak for a Calandra Lark. My first thought was: why not a pale and worn Greater Short Toed Lark? Missing/abraded tertials make pp appear longer, but as said I better learn here, as I havent experience with Larks from that region.
I think this is one for the real experts. I think, wings are not long enough and head pattern to plain/weak for a Calandra Lark. My first thought was: why not a pale and worn Greater Short Toed Lark? Missing/abraded tertials make pp appear longer, but as said I better learn here, as I havent experience with Larks from that region.
alirezakiani
Well-known member
yes you are right... there used to be a wetland, that thesedays completely goes dry. temp 40 deg
James Lowther
Well-known member
Streaky back and solidly black tail feathers surely rules out both bar-tailed and desert larks.
In my opinion, big bill, face pattern and long primary projection points towards a pale calandra (or bimaculated?) lark as previously suggested.
Cheers
James
In my opinion, big bill, face pattern and long primary projection points towards a pale calandra (or bimaculated?) lark as previously suggested.
Cheers
James
Do such birds exist?
CARERY
Well-known member
Not that I really know what it is but one things for sure it's not a juvenile but an adult in active moult (some old, bleached primaries, missing tertials). I just saw that on ebird Alireza has posted it as Desert Lark already: Desert Lark - Ammomanes deserti - Media Search - eBird and Macaulay Library
Bill shape is wrong, the lower mandible should be concave, but this is distinctly convex. I agree is is confusing though.
opisska
rabid twitcher
Oh yeah, you're right. The bill is actually much more Dunn's lark shaped - but then the color is off.
Had to look hard, but finally found a photo that shows this. Though most are straight and a few are slightly convex (not as convex as the OP's bird).
Brian J Small
Well-known member
Arabian Lark for me.
As pointed out by Alexander the longest tertials are missing, making the primary projection look long.
General plumage hues and pattern, , greyish nape, thin black line down front edge of ear coverts from gape, etc..
Brian
As pointed out by Alexander the longest tertials are missing, making the primary projection look long.
General plumage hues and pattern, , greyish nape, thin black line down front edge of ear coverts from gape, etc..
Brian
The problem is that Arabian lark is only listed to occur in the Arabian peninsula, not anywhere close to Tehran
I have to agree with Brian, the bill shape and the 'virtual puffy' eye-ring is typical of Arabian Lark.
The species is known to wander (record from Cyprus for instance) but is it possible? It doesn't appear on the Iranian Bird club list nor on the Annotated Checklist and there is only one record from the UAE.
By only concern is the wide variability of Desert Lark and relative lack of understanding of the ssp phoenicuroides & parvirostris (although with the later, it certainly doesn't have a small bill!). There are photos of birds with similar bills on eBird from Pakistan/Rajasthan. I know from living in the UAE, how variable the DL can be - but the streaking, although subtle, is just too much for DL IMO.
Yes, but I don't see an alternative. I became convinced of the ID after a private conversation with Grahame and viewing this excellent blog page written by a friend, who recently saw this species for the first time in Saudi Arabia. I showed him the image and he readily agreed it's Arabian Lark.
The Arabian Dunn’s Lark, Desert Enigma | Birds of Saudi Arabia
December 2020 broke the spell. After three years of trying, I finally tracked down the Arabian Lark Eremalauda eremodites, and not once but thrice in the matter of a few weeks. Nemesis no more! After the first encounter, my wife asked me why I’d been so obsessed with finding them. To be honest...
