TURKEY - a report from a birdwatching trip to Central ... - Netfugl.dk

all pale, but in some with faint darker tip. The broad white tail-sides (created by the all white t6) are
seen when the tail was spread.
The song performed in carousel-like spirals, often rather high in the air. Appears quick, dry and
"up-speeded", including short elements of imitation of other steppe species.
Habitat is dry, flat salt-steppes with scattered vegetation of Salix and very scattered, open scrub.
Aharoni are supposed to appear in similar habitat throughout Central Anatolia, and are also present
e.g. at Eregli Marshes and in dry steppe between Adana and Gaziantep. Dense populations probably
occurs in dried areas near great saline lakes in a habitat similar to Sultan Marshes, where we found
the population dense, and the bird easy find even along roadsides (as do Kristensen et al. 1999,
informed by Andreas Hagermann).
The ID from other forms are recently covered by Göller & Schwalbe (2005), which described the
birds based on observation of taxon, aharoni, present at the Central Anatolian steppes. Our
observations fits well their description, but the birdsvaried slightly more, and dark tip to bill is
regular in aharoni.
Compared to aharoni, Lesser Short-toed Lark is smaller and less compact, generally with more
distinct streak across breast and the darker, more olive-tinged mantle (this streaking was noted in a
minority of our aharoni, but we explains this by wear). The innerwebs of the outer tail feather is
dark in heinei, all white in aharoni. Dark tip to bill more frequent in Lesser Short-toed than in
aharoni. The two taxa said to be well seperated from each other in Turkey, with Asian occuring at
the Central Anatolias steppes, and Lesser in the Ne and E part of Turkey; status of birds in many
areas rather uncertain, with pale, Asian-looking birds appearing thorughout southern turkey to at
least Gaziantep area. Unknown if the two merge into each other, e.g. near Birezik.
Recently, Svensson (2003) vividly described his attempt to track the species in Kazakstan, where
the taxon leocophaea. The team never succeeded in finding the species "live", but studied the skins
at the Zoological Institution in Almaty, as well as Lesser Short-toed Lark Calandrella rufescens
heinei in the field as well. They noted leucochaena to be smaller than heinei, but otherwise their
destription fits very well the observations made in Central Anatolia.
169. Calandra Lark Melanocoryphra calandra Kalanderlærke
Locally common in arable land and flat grassy steppes, especially in central and south Anatolia.
Absent from large parts of the east where replaced by Bimaculated Lark, which see.
2005: Most 15.5 10 Sultan Sazligi - 23.5 10 Göksu Delta.
2006: Most 17.5 5 Nigde-Sultan Sazligi – 17.5 15 Sultan Sazligi – 17.5 10 Kayseri-Sarkisla – 17.5
10 Sivas-Kizildag Gecedi. Absent from the East, but again observed 23.5 Silvan-Diyarbakir, and
from then widespread, most 24.5 20 Siverik-Kahta.
2007: Most 16.5 10 Kavdarli-Sultan Sazligi – 16.5 40 Sultan Sazligi – 16.5 65 Ovaciftlik – 21.5 20
Patnos-Bulanik – 21.5 120 Bulanik – 22.5 30 Midyat – 22.5 15 Oyali – 22.5 10 Idil – 23.5 10
Diyarbakir-Siverik – 23.5 70 Siverik-Bucak – 24.5 3 Damlica.
170. Bimaculated Lark Melanocorypha bimaculata Østlig Kalanderlærke
Locally common in grassy flat or slightly rolling country, generally on stonier ground and in
slightly higher elevations with larger amount of natural vegetation of small herbs and thorny bushes
than preferred by Calandra Lark, with which little overlap noted by us. In dry areas N of Birezik an
westwards to Central Anatolia (including Nigde area) both species should occur alongside, with
Bimaculated preffing natural, stony steppe and Calandra Lark arable and agricultural land. Very
common in the far East.
2005: Most 16.5 20 Baskarschmag - 18.5 50 between Kars and Halikista - 18.5 10 Halikista - 18.5
10 Igdir - 18.5 5 Serpmetas - 19.5 15 Van Hills. The most westerly observation was 20.5 2 Siverik.