Appearance:

Largely unmistakable. Huge, almost all white, bird with black flight feathers, long red legs and bill. Juveniles with dark bill tip and pale legs. Easily told from Black Stork in flight by all white underparts, including wing coverts. Only flight feathers black. Wing pattern similar to White Pelican and Egyptian Vulture. Often soars high in flocks like raptors.

Sound:

Mostly silent. Loud, modulated bill-clattering from both sexes is heard during courtship/display.

Display call:

Distribution:

Wikipedia: map (se also Xeno-canto below)

Ecology:

Birdlife ecology

Links:

Observation.org Latest observations

Video IBC

Image search Flickr NB! May give other species

Sound search at Xeno-canto

Featherbase

CC

CC-sound:Tomas Belka, Licence,Link.

Appearance:

Very similar to Crested Lark, and identification can be very difficult in areas where both species occur. The much used streaked-breast character is not always relevant because of regional variations among the many subspecies of both Crested and Thekla. Then habitat, behaviour and voice becomes important for identification. A combination of the following characters should be used to tell it from Crested: Bill appears straight (because of convex lower mandible), crest fuller and not so pointed, belly less deep, back more heavily streaked , tail coverts rusty-brown in contrast to rump, underwing coverts greyish white (not rufous), upper breast with defined streaking ("done with marker pen"). Eye-stripe white behind eye. Will often perch atop of scrubs or bushes, unlike Crested, and usually prefers higher altitude habitats.

Sound:

Song: a mix of long whistling, warbling sounds, trills and mimicry. Full song very similar to Crested Lark. Rudiments of song are often heard and is less whistling than Crested. The contact call/alarm-call may be the best characteristic to separate it from Crested Lark where both species occur. Thekla Lark calls with 3-5 syllables, of which one is often drawn out and "hangs" while falling in pitch, giving it a melancholic feeling (diagnostic). The phrase has a more "bouncing" feel to it than Crested Lark.

Call and song (diagnostic call at time 08-11 sec.):

Distribution:

Xeno-canto: map

Ecology:

Birdlife ecology

Links:

Observation.org Latest observations

Video IBC

Image search Flickr NB! May give other species

Sound search at Xeno-canto

Featherbase

CC