The Malabar lark, or Malabar crested lark (Galerida malabarica) is a species of lark in the family Alaudidae found in western India.
| Malabar lark | |
|---|---|
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| A pair of Galerida malabarica from Mangaon, Maharashtra, India | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Alaudidae |
| Genus: | Galerida |
| Species: |
G. malabarica
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| Binomial name | |
| Galerida malabarica (Scopoli, 1786) | |
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| Synonyms | |
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Originally, the Malabar lark was classified in the genus Alauda before being moved to its present genus. Also, some authorities have considered the Thekla lark to be a subspecies of the Malabar lark.[2]
This is a smallish lark, slightly smaller than the Eurasian skylark. It has a long spiky erectile crest. It is greyer than the skylark, and lacks the white wing and tail edges of that species, which is a winter visitor to India.
It is very similar to the crested lark, which breeds in northern India. The Malabar lark is smaller and dark-streaked reddish brown in plumage, whereas the crested lark is grey. The belly is white. The sexes are similar.
Sykes's lark is another Indian relative that also has reddish-brown plumage, but is smaller, shorter-billed, with a stiff upright crest and has plain rufous underparts.
The Malabar lark is found in western India. It is a common bird of open country, cultivation and scrub, often at some altitude.
The Malabar lark is a sedentary breeding bird that nests on the ground, laying two or three eggs. Its food is seeds and insects, the latter especially in the breeding season.
