Asian Short-toed Lark

Asian Short-toed Lark (Alaudala cheleensis) is a small, compact brown lark with streaked upperparts, pale underparts and a short conical bill. Body shape, bill structure, plumage pattern and voice provide the strongest field characters. Age, sex and season may alter its appearance, so identification should combine several features and careful direct field comparisons with similar species in the same habitat (Wikipedia, general species account).

It inhabits dry open plains and grasslands from south-central to eastern Asia, feeding on small seeds and insects on the ground and nesting in a shallow cup among sparse vegetation. Its movements and social behaviour vary through the year, with breeding birds generally more dispersed and non-breeding birds gathering where food is concentrated. Japanese records place it within the country's documented avifauna as a resident, migrant or visitor (Wikipedia, general species account; Wildlife of Japan occurrence records).