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Message: <blockquote data-quote="steve west" data-source="post: 1406116" data-attributes="member: 23426">I agree with the comments about the difficulty of separating these two species, even if you live in the area where they occur and see them both quite regularly. Plumage coloration varies an awful lot with wear (ie. different times of year) and dare I suggest that there is a good bit of local variation in general "ground colour"? Morphologically speaking the best initial clue is usually the bill dimensions and shape, followed by intensity of breast streaking, face pattern and often "greyer" colour of Theklas. Even so, there are a good number of birds that pose a challenge to the application of these criteria. Certainly in northeast Spain if prefers the top of a bush to the ground then it's probably a Thekla. Also the habitat: Crested Larks prefer more agricultural landscapes, e.g. margins of ploughed fields, etc. While Theklas are more common in broken, stony terrain with scattered bushes, escarpments, etc. I've never seen a Thekla lark in the Ebro Delta itself and that also agrees with previous comments about its local distribution. Steve<a href="http://www.BirdingInSpain.com" target="_blank">http://www.BirdingInSpain.com</a></blockquote>