The Jerdon's bush lark, known scientifically as Mirafra affinis, is a modestly adorned avian species belonging to the Alaudidae family. It is a bird that captures the essence of the South Asian landscapes, with its understated beauty and harmonious existence within its environment.
When attempting to identify Jerdon's bush lark, one should look for the distinctive arrowhead-like spots pointing upwards on its breast. This species is often confused with the Indian bush lark, but keen observers will note the Jerdon's bush lark's buffy lores, less white behind the ear coverts, and darker centers to the wing coverts and central tail feathers. The primary coverts display dark centers that are quite prominent, and the wing panels are a duller rufous compared to its relatives. The subspecies found in the southern Western Ghats, known as the race ceylonensis, is darker and more rufous on the underside and boasts a longer bill. Overall, the underparts of Jerdon's bush lark are paler and greyish-brown.
This adaptable bird can be found in a variety of open habitats, which include the perimeters of forests, rocky scrublands, meadows on scrubby hills, clearings within open-type forests, shrub-edged fallow croplands, and dense bamboo thickets, up to an elevation of 1500 meters.
The Jerdon's bush lark graces the landscapes of south-east India and Sri Lanka, with an estimated global extent of occurrence spanning 100,000 to 1,000,000 square kilometers.
