Sykes's lark (''Galerida deva'') is a species of

lark Larks are passerine birds of the family Alaudidae. Larks have a cosmopolitan distribution with the largest number of species occurring in Africa. Only a single species, the horned lark, occurs in North America, and only Horsfield's bush lark occ ...

found in the dry open country of

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. Its distribution is mainly restricted to

central India Central India refers to a geographical region of India that generally includes the states of Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh. The Central Zonal Council, established by the Government of India, includes these states as well as Uttar Prades ...

, although stray records have been found elsewhere on the sub-continent. It is identified by its prominent crest and its overall rufous colouration. It has streaks on its breast which are less prominent than those found in the

Oriental skylark The Oriental skylark (''Alauda gulgula''), also known as the small skylark, is a species of skylark found in the Sino-Indian region and parts of central Asia. Like other skylarks, it is found in open grassland where it feeds on seeds and insec ...

. It can imitate the calls of 34 other birds within its habitat.

Taxonomy and systematics

Originally, Sykes's lark was classified as belonging to the genus ''

Alauda ''Alauda'' is a genus of larks found across much of Europe, Asia and in the mountains of north Africa, and one of the species (the Raso lark) endemic to the islet of Raso in the Cape Verde Islands. Further, at least two additional species a ...

''. Alternate names for Sykes's skylark include Deccan crested lark, Deccan lark, Sykes's crested-lark, tawny crested lark and tawny lark.

Diet

It is an insectivore.

References

Gallery

Image:Sykes's Lark (Galerida deva) in Hyderabad, AP W IMG 8063.jpg, In

Hyderabad Hyderabad is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India. With an average altitude of , much ...

, India Image:Sykes's Lark (Galerida deva) in Hyderabad, AP W IMG 8044.jpg, In Hyderabad, India Sykes's lark Birds of India Endemic birds of India Sykes's lark {{Alaudidae-stub