The greater hoopoe-lark is a passerine bird which is a breeding resident of arid, desert and semi-desert regions from the Cape Verde Islands across much of northern Africa, through the Arabian Peninsula, Syria, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. It was formerly known as the bifasciated lark and sometimes as the large desert lark.
Region
North Africa, Arabian Peninsula, and South Asia
Typical Environment
Occurs across the Sahara and Sahel margins, the Arabian Peninsula, and into the Levant, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and northwestern India, with an isolated population on Cape Verde. Prefers open arid habitats such as sand dunes, gravel and stony deserts (regs and hamadas), salt flats, and sparsely vegetated wadis. It uses scattered shrubs and stones for shade and nest concealment. Local movements follow rainfall and food pulses, but most populations remain within broad home regions.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 2000 m
Climate Zone
Arid
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
The greater hoopoe-lark is adapted to extreme deserts, using long legs and a decurved bill to sprint and probe for prey on open ground. In flight it shows striking black-and-white wings and performs butterfly-like display flights during breeding. It often seeks shade and becomes most active at cooler hours, conserving water by spending midday inactive. Its sandy coloration provides excellent camouflage against dunes and gravel plains.
Temperament
solitary and territorial
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with low, undulating flights; buoyant display flights with gliding
Social Behavior
Typically seen singly or in pairs, defending loose territories in open desert. Nests on the ground in a shallow scrape often lined with plant material and sheltered by a stone or shrub. Pairs are monogamous during the breeding season; both adults attend young, with the female incubating most of the time.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Song consists of clear, mellow whistles and trills delivered from the ground or during fluttering display flights. Calls are soft, fluty notes and chirrs used to keep contact in sparse habitats.
Plumage
Sandy-buff to pale brown upperparts with lightly streaked back and very pale, almost white underparts. Large rounded wings reveal bold black-and-white patches in flight. Long decurved bill and elongated legs give a distinctive upright, lanky silhouette.
Diet
Primarily consumes insects such as beetles, ants, termites, and grasshoppers, along with other small invertebrates. It also takes spiders and occasionally small vertebrates when available. Seeds and plant material are eaten opportunistically, especially in dry periods. Foraging relies on rapid sprints, probing, and flicking debris to expose prey.
Preferred Environment
Feeds on open sand and gravel flats, along the edges of wadis, and among scattered shrubs where insects concentrate. Often forages in the early morning shade of stones and vegetation. Will exploit recently wetted areas after rain when invertebrate activity peaks.
