Thekla's Lark

The Thekla Lark is a resident breeding species which can be found at differing altitudes but always on very dry land. It can be seen at Es Blanquer alongside the Short Toed Lark and also Cap Blanc and on the northern footpath in the mountains of the Arta Peninsula on the footpath from the reserve car park.

Technical description

Thekla Lark (Galerida theklae) breeds on the Iberian peninsula, in northern Africa and sub-Saharan Africa from Senegal to Somalia. It is a sedentary (non-migratory) species. It is a common bird of dry open country, often at some altitude. This is a smallish lark, slightly smaller than the skylark. It has a long, spiky, erectile crest. It is greyer than the skylark and lacks the white wing and tail edge of that species. It is very similar to the widespread crested lark, Galerida cristata. It is smaller and somewhat greyer than that species and has a shorter bill. In-flight it shows grey underwings, whereas the crested has reddish underwings. The body is mainly dark-streaked grey above and whitish below. The sexes are similar. It nests on the ground, laying two to six eggs.