Description:

Small lark with medium-long and thin bill, fairly short tail and small erectile crest. Very variable in colour and prominence of streaking on upperparts and underparts, buffish-white outer tail feathers, and indistinct rufous wing-panel. Compared to Eurasian rufous cast to ear-coverts and tertials almost reach primary tips.

Distribution:

Common and widespread summer visitor higher elevation plains all across Gilgit-Baltistan. Inhabits open habitats with short vegetation, grassland, cultivation, dry edges of lakes and semi-desert with bushes. Lowlands to locally higher at 4300m.

Behavior:

Forages on ground mostly on open grassland and fields, singly, in pairs or in loose flocks. Ingests grit. Diet includes small invertebrates and seeds, also other plant material. Primarily insectivorous in breeding season and vegetarian in winter. Feeds mostly on moths and caterpillars and with other insect larvae.

Photo Gallery:

Range & Occurrence:

Resident Species

Summer Breeder

Winter Visitor

Passage Migrant

Distribution Map of Oriental Skylark in Gilgit-Baltistan (Status: )

Seasonal Occurrence of Oriental Skylark

Resources:

Birds of Pakistan: Helm Field Guides (R. Grimmett & T. Inskipp)
The Birds of Pakistan (T. J. Roberts)
Birds of the Indian Subcontinent (C. Inskipp, R. Grimmett & T. Inskipp)
Birds of South Asia: The Ripley Guide (P. Rasmussen & J. Anderton)
Birds of India: Collins Field Guide (N. Arlott)
Handbook of the Birds of India and Pakistan (S. Ali & S. D. Ripley)
Handbook of the Birds of the World (https://www.hbw.com)
The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World, 6th Edition
iNaturalist BoGB (inaturalist.org/projects/birds-of-gilgit-baltistan)
Birds of Gilgit-Baltistan (http://fb.me/birdsgb)

*Gallery images on this page are shared from flickr.com, and are copyrighted to their respective creators or owners.