Desert Lark
| Class: Aves: Birds |
Diet: Seeds |
| Order:
Passeriformes: Perching birds |
| Size: body:15
cm (6 in) |
| Family: Alaudidae:
Larks |
Conservation Status:
Non-threatened |
| Scientific Name:
Ammomanes deserti |
Habitat: stony, hilly
desert, dry wooded slopes |
| Range:
Africa: Sahara; Middle East, through Iran to Afghanistan |
 The
plumage of the desert lark perfectly matches the color of the desert soil
and is the best example of soil camouflage in birds. The very dark subspecies,
A. d. annae, blends with the black larval sand of central Arabia, while
the pale race, A. d. isabellina, does not stray from areas of white sand.
The nest is usually built up against a rock or tuft of
grass and is reinforced on the windward side by small decorative pebbles.
In the harsh desert interior, 3 eggs are laid, while 4 or 5 may be produced
at the desert edge.
  
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