Rufous-tailed Lark Ammomanes phoenicura Scientific name definitions

Rufous-tailed Lark is widespread across dry regions of India. It prefers open habitats like semi-desert, scrub-jungle, dry-savannah, rocky outcrops in dry deciduous forest, and seasonal or fallow agricultural fields. It is closely related to the desert-dwelling Bar-tailed Lark (Ammomanes cinctura) and Desert Lark (Ammomanes deserti), and in the past it was considered conspecific with the Bar-tailed Lark. It has a beautiful flight display in which the bird ascends to a height of about 30 m, and flies around while singing for a few minutes, before diving down with its wings to its side, and then rising up again in consecutive waves before sharply descending to the ground. The song has a melodious metallic ring that is reminiscent of a cow-bell ringing in a distant pasture. Rufous-tailed Lark usually occurs in pairs or in groups of 3 or 4, but during the non-breeding season up to 50 birds may flock together. Although not classified as globally threatened (Least Concern) by the IUCN Red List, recent assessments of its distribution and population trends found strong declines over the past two decades (1 SoIB (2023). State of India’s Birds factsheet: Rufous-tailed Lark Ammomanes phoenicura (India) https://stateofindiasbirds.in/species/rutlar2/. Close ). There is a need for research to understand the causes of this sharp decline. Studies on the biology of this species are nearly lacking and need to be prioritized.