Greater short-toed lark
The greater short-toed lark ("Calandrella brachydactyla") is a small passerine bird. The current scientific name is from Ancient Greek. The genus name, "Calandrella", is a diminutive of "kalandros", the calandra lark, and "brachydactila" is from "brakhus", "short", and "daktulos", "toe". It breeds in southern Europe, north-west Africa, and across the Palearctic from Turkey and southern Russia to Mongolia. During migration they form large, tight flocks that move in unison; at other times they form loose flocks. Taxonomy and systematics. The greater short-toed lark was described by the German naturalist Johann Leisler in 1814  and given the binomial name "Alauda brachydactila". This lark is now placed in the genus "Calandrella" that was established by another German naturalist, Johann Jakob Kaup, in 1829. The specific name "brachydactyla" is from the Ancient Greek βραχυδακτυλος "brakhudaktulos" "short-toed" from "brakhus" "short" and "daktulos" "toe". The alternate name short-toed lark may also be used for three other species in the genus "Calandrella". The Mongolian short-toed lark was formerly considered as a subspecies of the greater short-toed lark (as "C. b. dukhunensis") until split in 2016 by the IOC. Formerly, some authorities also considered the red -capped lark to be either conspecific (as "C. cinerea") with or a subspecies (as "C. b. cinerea") of the greater short-toed lark. Subspecies. Eight subspecies are recognized: The syntypes of "Calandrella hermonensis" Tristram (Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1864, p.434), 3 adult males and a juvenile, are held in the vertebrate zoology collection of National Museums Liverpool at World Museum, with accession numbers NML-VZ T15738, NML-VZ T17770, NML-VZ T17771 and NML-VZ T17773. The specimens were collected at the foot of Mount Hermon, Lebanon in June 1864 by Canon Henry Baker Tristram. The specimens came to the  Liverpool national collection through the purchase of Tristram's collection by the museum in 1896. Description. Several subspecies have been named but there is considerable geneflow and the species itself forms part of a larger complex. This is a small pale lark, smaller than the skylark. It is dark-streaked greyish-brown above, and white below, and has a strong pointed bill that is pinkish with a grey culmen. It has a pale supercilium, dark patches on each side of its neck and a dark tail. Some birds in the west of the range have a rufous crown. The sexes  are similar. The greater short-toed lark is paler than the Mongolian short-toed lark which also has a shorter bill. In winter they fly in large and compact flocks that swing in synchrony. Care must be taken to distinguish this species from other similar "Calandrella" larks, such as the Mediterranean short-toed lark. The nominate form breeds in Europe (Iberia, France, Italy, the Balkans and Romania) and winters in Africa. Subspecies "hungarica" breeds in the eastern parts of Europe while "rubiginosa" breeds in north-western Africa. Subspecies "hermonensis" (sometimes including "woltersi") breeds in Turkey, Syria and Egypt. Subspecies "artemisiana  (considered by some to be synonymous with longipennis") breeds in Asia Minor and winters in southern west Asia. Subspecies "longipennis" breeds in Ukraine, Mongolia and Manchuria and winters in South Asia mainly in the drier zone of north-western India. The song varies between a dry twittering and a more varied and imitative melody. Flocks will often fly together to water in the mornings at favourite spots. In the evenings they roost in open ground, with each bird squatting in a small depression made in the soil. Distribution and habitat. All but some southernmost populations are migratory, wintering south to  the southern edge of the Sahara and India. This species is a fairly common wanderer to northern and western Europe in spring and autumn. Populations breeding in the Iberian Peninsula winter south of the Sahara in Africa. Here they prefer crop land and dry pastures with short shrubs while the syntopic Mediterranean short-toed larks ("Calandrella rufescens") prefer drier areas. This is a common bird of dry open country and cultivation. It nests on the ground, laying two to three eggs. Its food is seeds and insects, the latter especially in the breeding season. In colonial India, they were hunted  for food as ortolans. They visit parts of South Asia in large flocks during winter and are sometimes attracted to short grass areas along aerodromes and become a bird strike risk to aircraft.