
Photo: (c) S. Menéndez, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC-BY
Galerida cristata
Habitat
Nests in small ground depressions, often in wasteland and on the outskirts of towns
Size
17cm; wingspan 29–38cm
Weight
37–55g
The crested lark is a fairly small lark, about the size of a Eurasian skylark but shorter overall and bulkier around the head and body, 17 cm tall, with a wingspan of 29–38 cm and weighing 37–55 g. It is a small brown bird with a short tail with light brown outer feathers; the sexes look alike, young birds have more spots on the back, and in flight it shows reddish underwings (Wikipedia, general species account).
It is non-migratory, and its sedentary nature is shown by its being a very rare vagrant to Britain though it breeds in northern France. The song is liquid and warbling, described as whee-whee-wheeoo or twee-tee-too, and it nests in small ground depressions, often in wasteland and on the outskirts of towns (Wikipedia, general species account).