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Recordings
Length
18.0 cm
Information
Common resident; breeds in Kuwait. Widespread in Kuwait’s deserts. One of the desert’s most charismatic larks. During breeding it performs a remarkable song flight. Its distinctive plumage is best seen when in flight.
Where in Kuwait
It is found and lives in arid, hot desert or semi-desert conditions and is capable of surviving in temperatures of up to 50 degrees Celsius. It is often seen running and digging for food in the sand with its long bill.
In the world
It has an extremely large range with a population that is estimated to be in decline owing to recorded regional declines. It has an extensive range stretching from the Cape Verde Islands in the west, across northern Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, to Pakistan and India in the east. Although it looks rather unremarkable when on the ground, when it is in flight it displays a striking white wing pattern. To attract a female, the male greater hoopoe-lark launches into an aerobatic song flight, steeply ascending from a high perch with wings and tail feathers spread, before twisting and sometimes somersaulting back down to the same perch
Local threats
Loss and degradation of habitat