Spike-heeled Lark Chersomanes albofasciata

A sociable lark with a decurved bill, upright posture, and a diagnostic short white-tipped tail. The plumage is highly variable, but the throat is always paler than the underparts, which vary from buff to rusty; eastern populations are darker than western ones. Small groups of 3 to 10 birds are resident in desert, semi-desert, and grassland, where they forage for invertebrates and seeds in open country with sparse low bushes. The species flies low with a bobbing flight pattern, and generally for distances of only 10 to 50 meters, before dropping suddenly to the ground. Gives a characteristic quavering trill “trrrri-trrri-trrri-trrri” and other soft contact calls.