Turkestan Short-toed Lark
Alaudala heinei
中亚短趾百灵
Introduction
This lark inhabits open steppe landscapes and arid grasslands across a broad band stretching from Eastern Europe through Central Asia. It favors dry, open habitats with sparse vegetation, including semi-desert areas and rocky slopes. As a ground-dwelling bird, it forages methodically while walking, rarely flying long distances except during migration. The species was only recently recognized as distinct from the Mediterranean short-toed lark, following genetic studies that confirmed significant differences between populations previously grouped under the lesser short-toed lark name.
Distribution & Habitat
The species' range extends from Ukraine and central Turkey eastward through Central Asia to southern Siberia, reaching as far as south-central Mongolia. Its southern limit extends through Iran to southern Afghanistan. Four subspecies are recognized: A.h. pseudobaetica occurs in eastern Turkey, Transcaucasia, and northern Iran; A.h. heinei ranges from Ukraine to eastern Kazakhstan; A.h. aharonii is found in central Turkey; and A.h. persica occupies eastern and southern Iraq through southern and southwestern Afghanistan.
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0
Taxonomy
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Alaudidae
- Genus
- Alaudala
- eBird Code
- tstlar1
Subspecies (3)
-
Alaudala heinei aharonii
breeds central Türkiye (Anatolian high plateau); partially migratory, wintering to central Syria
-
Alaudala heinei heinei
breeds from Ukraine and eastern Türkiye eastward to eastern Kazakhstan and (disjunctly?) to southern Mongolia; wintering in the Middle East and southwestern Asia
-
Alaudala heinei persica
southern Iraq and Iran to southeastern Afghanistan
Data Sources
Species description from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Taxonomy data from AviList 2025.