Mid-sized bird (approx 17 cm or 6.5 in), sturdy and with a striking and erectile crest on the head. Plumage in general of brown tones, striated and striped on the breast with darker tones. Short, tapered bill; short tail. In flight it has wide wings.
Woodland environment
Species of medium and high mountain, exclusive of the Iberian Peninsula and the northwest of Africa. It prefers clear areas of forest or scrub with scattered trees, rocky terrains or farmlands with livestock. The Thekla Lark replaces the Crested Lark in altitude since the latter prefers lower and flat areas.
Species resident in the province. It breeds between February and June. Two annual layings of 2 to 7 eggs. Nest on the ground. It consumes seeds and small terrestrial insects that it catches in the ground, where it spends a lot of time foraging.
In Malaga it is a very frequent species. It is abundant in the farmlands and open areas of the Serrania de Ronda and the Alta Axarquía, in the mountain ranges of El Chorro, Alcaparaín, Ortegícar or Aguas, for example. It is present in all middle and high mountain stages of the Great Path, for example in 9, 12, 23, 26 and 33.
In Malaga this lark appears at high altitudes, as in the Puerto de los Pilones in Sierra de las Nieves, at 1,800 meters above sea level. It reaches up to 2,200 m in Sierra Nevada. It is a species sensitive to changes in its habitat, which is also usually chosen to set up wind farms. Therefore, it is used as a bio-indicator of impact on non-rapacious bird communities in these infrastructures.
- Camino de la Fuenfría
- El Cerro de Santi Petri
- El Chorro (Paraje Natural del Desfiladero de Los Gaitanes)
- El Torcal
- Genal and Guadiaro rivers junction
- Great Malaga Path (GR 249). Stage 09. Periana - Riogordo
- Great Malaga Path (GR 249). Stage 12. Villanueva del Rosario - Archidona
- Great Malaga Path (GR 249). Stage 23. El Burgo - Ronda
- Great Malaga Path (GR 249). Stage 26. Jimera de Líbar - Benalauría
- Great Malaga Path (GR 249). Stage 33. Mijas - Benalmádena
- Llanos de Líbar
- Sierra de la Utrera
- Sierra de Mollina y Laguna de la Ratosa
- Sierra del Padrastro
- Tajos del Fraile, Doña Ana y Gómer
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