A small, stocky bird of open grasslands and cropfields. Dark brown back with rusty scalloping; paler brown underneath with dark splotches on breast. Thick, heavy bill and short tail. Runs along ground and perches on fences and shrubs. Smaller size, thicker bill, and shorter legs and tail separate it from Eurasian Skylark and Australasian Pipit. Song given in flight and on ground: a long jumble of sweet, husky, and jangling notes. Call a single husky note, sometimes given in series.