It is an undistinguished-looking species on the ground, mainly streaked greyish brown above and white below, and with large black patches on the breast sides.

It is mainly resident in the west of its range, but Russian populations of this passerine bird are more migratory, moving further south in winter, as far as the Arabian Peninsula and Egypt.

The nest is made from grass stems and small leaves, lined with softer material and built in a shallow depression on the ground, often under a tussock.

Mediterranean populations are resident, forming large flocks in the autumn and winter (Snow and Perrins 1998, de Juana and Suárez 2004).

[1] Parasites of the calandra lark include the chewing louse Ricinus vaderi, described from specimens collected in Azerbaijan.

[8] It is mentioned in, for instance, the Tuscan proverb "Canta come una calandra", he or she sings like a lark,[9] and the Spanish ballad "Romance del prisionero", where its song is the only way the prisoner knows when day breaks.