PAKHI DEKHOON PAKHI CHINOON ... OBSERVE THE BIRD AND RECOGNIZE...GREATER SHORT TOED LARK

PAKHI DEKHOON PAKHI CHINOON #609... OBSERVE THE BIRD AND RECOGNIZE...GREATER SHORT TOED LARK... WATERCOLOUR...A4... 2015...[From the photograph of Mr. Soumyajit Nandy] ... The greater short-toed lark (Calandrella brachydactyla) or sometimes just short-toed lark is a small passerine bird. It breeds in southern Europe, north-west Africa, and across temperate Asia from Turkey and southern Russia to Mongolia. It is sometimes considered conspecific with Calandrella cinerea. During migration they form large flocks that fly in synchrony[clarification needed] and at other times they form loose flocks.
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.
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.[info:wikipedia]