Mongolian Short-toed Lark

The Mongolian short-toed lark is a 15-centimetre lark that closely resembles the short-toed lark, especially its westernmost subspecies longipennis. It differs in having longer wings, a shorter bill, a brownish-yellow collar and a more streaked underside. The song also differs, in this species recalling the woodlark's. It is a recently separated species, formerly treated as a subspecies of the short-toed lark, but genetic studies show its closest relative is the Tibetan short-toed lark. It is treated as monotypic. (Swedish Wikipedia, general species account)

The bird breeds on salt plains, in semi-desert and on dry steppe, often at high altitude. Knowledge of both its food and foraging behaviour is lacking, but they are thought not to differ much from the short-toed lark's. A recent study shows that it lays between the end of May and the beginning of July. The scientific name refers to Dukhun, the Deccan plateau region of southern India. (Swedish Wikipedia, general species account)