Bar-tailed lark facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Bar-tailed lark
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Genus:	Ammomanes
Species:	cinctura
Subspecies
See text
Synonyms
Ammomanes cincturus Ammomanes cinturus Melanocorypha cinctura

The bar-tailed lark is a small bird that lives in hot deserts. You might also hear it called the bar-tailed desert lark. It is a type of lark, which belongs to the bird family called Alaudidae.

Eggs of the Ammomanes cincturus arenicolor subspecies, found in a museum collection.

This bird lives in many places, from Morocco in Africa all the way to Pakistan in Asia. It loves sandy or stony deserts. While it's common in some areas, it's rarer in others. Scientists say it's a "least concern" bird. This means it's not in danger of disappearing right now. However, its numbers are slowly going down.

Understanding the Bar-tailed Lark

The bar-tailed lark is a fascinating desert bird. It has a few different names, like the bar-tailed finch-lark or black-tailed desert lark. It was first described by a scientist named John Gould in 1839.

Different Types of Bar-tailed Larks

Just like there are different types of dogs, there are different types of bar-tailed larks. These are called subspecies. Scientists recognize three main ones:

• A. c. cinctura: This type lives on the Cape Verde Islands, which are off the coast of Africa.
• A. c. arenicolor: You can find this one in the deserts of North Africa, stretching to the Sinai Peninsula and western Arabia.
• Persian rufous-tailed finch lark (A. c. zarudnyi): This subspecies lives in eastern Iran, southern Afghanistan, and southern Pakistan.

What Does a Bar-tailed Lark Look Like?

The bar-tailed lark is a small bird, about 14 to 15 centimeters (5.5 to 6 inches) long. That's about the size of a small sparrow! It looks a bit like another desert bird called the desert lark.

Key Features of the Bar-tailed Lark

• Size and Shape: It's slightly smaller than the desert lark. It has a smaller, rounder head, a tiny beak, and thin legs. Its tail is also shorter.
• Colors: Its back and top parts are sandy-buff with a hint of grey. This helps it blend in with the desert sand! Its belly and underside are whitish.
• Wings and Tail: Its wings are a reddish-brown color with dark edges. The tail is also reddish-brown, but it has a clear black band at the very end. This black band is how it got its name, "bar-tailed"!

Where Do Bar-tailed Larks Live?

The bar-tailed lark lives across a very large area. You can find it in many countries in North Africa, the Middle East, and western Asia.

Countries Where They Live

Its home includes countries like:

• Afghanistan
• Algeria
• Bahrain
• Cape Verde
• Chad
• Egypt
• Iran
• Iraq
• Israel
• Jordan
• Kuwait
• Libya
• Mali
• Mauritania
• Morocco
• Niger
• Oman
• Pakistan
• Qatar
• Saudi Arabia
• Sudan
• Syria
• Tunisia
• United Arab Emirates
• Western Sahara
• Yemen

Their Favorite Home

Bar-tailed larks prefer flat, sandy, or stony deserts. They like areas with small, scrubby plants. They are usually shyer than desert larks. While desert larks often hang out on rocky hills, bar-tailed larks prefer flat ground.