Sand lark
species of bird
The sand lark (Alaudala raytal) is a small passerine bird in the lark family, Alaudidae, found in southern Asia. It is somewhat similar to, but smaller than the short-toed larks.
Taxonomy and systematics
The sand lark was originally assigned to the genus Alauda. It was later placed in the genus Calandrella until it was moved back to Alaudala in 2014 although not all authorities have recognized this change yet. The alternate name Asian short-toed lark is usually used to refer to the species of the same name, Alaudala cheleensis. Other alternate names include Ganges sand lark, Indian sand lark and Indian short-toed lark.
Subspecies
Three subspecies are recognized:
Indus sand lark (A. r. adamsi) - (Hume, 1871): Found in southeastern Iran, Pakistan, eastern Afghanistan and northwestern India
A. r. raytal - (Blyth, 1845): Found from north-central India to southern Myanmar
A. r. krishnakumarsinhji - (Vaurie & Dharmakumarsinhji, 1954): Found in west-central India
Description
The sand lark is about 12 or 13 cm (4.7 or 5.1 in) long.
“Sand lark” enters the record as species of bird. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Sand, lark and species can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“Sand lark” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Sand, lark and species provides the most credible route into that argument.
Stable identifiers, scientific names and standards terminology offer the best bridge between this overview and specialist evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Oct 6, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q27075426. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 2014, 1871, 1845 and 1954.
Current terminology should not be projected backward without checking the classification used when the underlying evidence was created. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Check terminology, classification and the date of the cited evidence. Scientific names and technical consensus can change while older records retain historical value.
- Current terminology
- Classification context
- Finding cited technical literature
Primary datasets, specimen catalogues, standards bodies and the most recent peer-reviewed literature.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Sand lark”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Sand lark primary sources, Sand lark archive and Sand research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Sand lark”?
- Is the terminology current, historical or disputed?
- Has classification or technical consensus changed since the cited source?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Sand lark” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.