Oriental Skylark
Photo © Afsar Nayakkan
Photo © Afsar Nayakkan — CC BY 4.0 — Source: iNaturalist #201904550The Oriental skylark (Alauda gulgula) is a species of skylark found in the Sino-Indian region and parts of central Asia. Like other skylarks, it is found in open grassland where it feeds on seeds and insects. == Taxonomy and systematics == The Oriental skylark was described by the English soldier and naturalist James Franklin in 1831 and given the binomial name Alauda gulgula. The meaning of the specific epithet gulgula is uncertain but is perhaps a reference to the song as gula is Latin for "throat", or maybe the colour of a gulgula, a sweet which looks like doughnut, made in many parts of Central India. Other alternate names for the Oriental skylark include small skylark, eastern skylark, Indian skylark and lesser skylark. === Subspecies === Nine subspecies are accepted: A. g. inconspicua Severtsov, 1873: southern Kazakhstan to eastern Iran, Pakistan and north-western India; originally described as a separate species A. g. lhamarum Meinertzhagen, R & Meinertzhagen, A, 1926: Pamir Mountains and western Himalayas A. g. australis Brooks, WE, 1873: south-western India; originally described as a separate species A. g. inopinata Bianchi, 1905: Tibetan Plateau and north-western China A. g. vernayi Mayr, 1941: eastern Himalayas and south-western China A. g.…
Lunugamvehera National Park
Sri Lanka
+204 birds+14 mammals
Dry scrubland and shallow wetlands converge in Sri Lanka's southeastern lowlands, where Lunugamvehera National Park anchors one of the island's most ecologically vital landscapes. The park's…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKMinneriya National Park
Sri Lanka
+158 birds+9 mammals
Across the dry zone of Sri Lanka's North Central Province spreads a landscape of shallow tanks, grassland margins, and scattered dry forest—a mosaic of water and…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKWasgamuwa National Park
Sri Lanka
+156 birds+8 mammals
Dry deciduous forest and open grassland sweep across the North Central lowlands where Wasgamuwa National Park protects one of Sri Lanka's largest remaining tracts of this…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKLangtang National Park
Helambu, Nepal
+364 birds+14 mammals
Where the southern slopes of the Himalayan highlands descend toward the subtropical valleys of central Nepal, Langtang National Park sprawls across one of the subcontinent's most…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKOrang National Park
Rangagarapathar, India
+298 birds+1 mammals
Where the Brahmaputra's floodplains meet the foothills of Assam, Orang National Park unfolds across a mosaic of riverine grasslands, forests and wetlands that pulse with the…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKRanthambhore National Park
Sawai Madhopur, India
+294 birds+20 mammals
Granite ridges and ravines carved through the Aravalli Range frame this protected landscape in eastern Rajasthan, where deciduous forest mingles with open scrubland and seasonal water…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKEravikulam National Park
Devikulam, India
+192 birds+7 mammals
High in the Western Ghats of Kerala, where monsoon mists cling to slopes that rise above 2,000 metres, Eravikulam National Park preserves one of South India's…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKKhao Yai National Park
Prachantakham District, Thailand
+377 birds+46 mammals
Evergreen dipterocarp forest blankets the rolling terrain of this national park in eastern Thailand, where limestone hills rise abruptly from the forest floor and seasonal streams…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKKhao Laem Ya-Mu Ko Samet National Park
Mueang Rayong District, Thailand
+159 birds+3 mammals
Where limestone hills meet the Gulf of Thailand, Khao Laem Ya–Mu Ko Samet National Park stitches together a mosaic of terrestrial and marine worlds that few…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKGiant Panda National Park
Mianyang, China
+447 birds+47 mammals
Where the eastern slopes of China's Sichuan plateau descend into cloud-wrapped valleys, one of Asia's most biodiverse landscapes unfolds across more than 350,000 square kilometres. This…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKJiuzhai Valley
Jiuzhaigou County, China
+226 birds+7 mammals
Where crystalline alpine streams cascade through limestone gorges and karst terrain rises in dramatic vertical walls, Jiuzhai Valley unfolds across nearly 1,300 square kilometers of southwestern…
VIEW NATURAL MONUMENTKanha Tiger Reserve
Kanha Kisli F.V., India
+321 birds+23 mammals
Where sal forests give way to emerald meadows and crystalline streams carve through ancient valleys, one of India's finest wilderness reserves unfolds across the Maikal Range.…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKTadoba National Park
Palasgaon Singru, India
+270 birds+20 mammals
Where sal forests meet open grasslands and rocky outcrops rise from red laterite soil, central India's landscape unfolds in raw, untamed beauty. Ancient teak woodlands and…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKPanna National Park
Badgadi Kalan, India
+271 birds+17 mammals
Where granite gorges slice through central India's Vindhyan plateau, a landscape of stark beauty unfolds across nearly six hundred square kilometers. The Ken River carves through…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKKaziranga National Park
Kohora, India
+422 birds+26 mammals
Dawn breaks over the floodplains of the Brahmaputra, where tall grasslands stretch endlessly beneath monsoon-heavy skies. This sprawling wilderness of northeastern Assam is a mosaic of…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKKeoladeo National Park
Shreenagar Rural, India
+326 birds+14 mammals
Where shallow wetlands shimmer beneath vast Rajasthani skies, one of Asia's finest bird sanctuaries pulses with extraordinary life. This former maharaja's hunting reserve, now spanning 29…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKPeriyar National Park
Mlappara, India
+232 birds+4 mammals
Dawn breaks over mist-shrouded ridges where the Western Ghats tumble toward Kerala's spice-scented lowlands. Here, ancient tropical forests envelope a glittering artificial lake, creating a mosaic…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKPampadum Shola National Park
Vattavada, India
+258 birds+14 mammals
Where misty shola forests cling to the high plateaus of the Nilgiri Mountains, ancient evergreen remnants create a world apart. This 2,316-hectare reserve protects one of…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKBandipur National Park
Hirehalli, India
+302 birds+19 mammals
Where the Western Ghats descend into the Deccan plateau, ancient deciduous forests blanket a landscape carved by the Nugu River. Bandipur unfolds across 880 square kilometres…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKNagarahole Tiger Reserve
Nalkeri Forest, India
+323 birds+23 mammals
Where granite escarpments rise above dense deciduous forests and the Kabini River carves through pristine wilderness, one of India's most biodiverse landscapes unfolds across the Western…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKSanjiangyuan National Park
Nagqu, China
+187 birds+25 mammals
Where the headwaters of three great Asian rivers emerge from a high alpine plateau, the landscape unfolds in tundra and dwarf shrubland—a world of austere beauty…
VIEW NATIONAL PARKWolong National Nature Reserve
Wenchuan County, China
+333 birds+17 mammals
Where the Qingyi River cuts through the eastern flanks of the Minshan Range, a temperate montane forest cloaks steep valleys in dense canopy that thins dramatically…
VIEW NATURE RESERVEYancheng National Nature Reserve
Yancheng, China
+208 birds+4 mammals
Where the East China Sea's tidal rhythms sculpt the Jiangsu coast, Yancheng National Nature Reserve sprawls across one of Asia's most dynamic wetland complexes. This vast…
VIEW NATURE RESERVEPoyang Lake National Nature Reserve
Shangrao, China
+270 birds+7 mammals
Where the Yangtze River's massive floodplain spreads across central China, Poyang Lake National Nature Reserve encompasses one of the continent's most dynamic and water-rich wetland systems.…
VIEW NATURE RESERVEQinghai Lake National Nature Reserve
Hainan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, China
+243 birds+11 mammals
At 3,200 metres above sea level on the Tibetan plateau, where winter temperatures plunge far below freezing and snow blankets the landscape for half the year,…
VIEW NATURE RESERVEGaoligong Mountain National Nature Reserve
Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture, China
+443 birds+13 mammals
VIEW NATURE RESERVEBaima Snow Mountain National Nature Reserve
Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, China
+204 birds+3 mammals
High-altitude ridges and steep-sided valleys define this reserve in northwestern Yunnan, where elevations surge from around 3,000 metres to peaks above 4,100 metres. The terrain supports…
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