It has a very wide distribution and faces no obvious threats, but surveys have shown that it is slowly decreasing in numbers.

[1] The bar-tailed lark was originally placed in the genus Melanocorypha.

[4] The bar-tailed lark has a large distribution across North Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, the Middle East and western Asia.

Its range includes Afghanistan, Algeria, Bahrain, Cape Verde, Chad, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Western Sahara and Yemen.

It is generally shier than the desert lark and has a preference for level ground whereas the desert lark tends to frequent rocky slopes and hillsides.