Crown of Ash

A male Ashy-crowned sparrow lark about to fly off with some dried grass to build a nest for his family on an open land in Moulvibazar. Before being spotted in 2020, near the Padma in Rajshahi, and 2023, in Shariatpur, this bird was last seen in Bangladesh in 2010 when it was spotted in Panchagarh.

A petite marvel in the realm of birds, the Ashy-crowned sparrow lark sports a beautiful full-bodied beak. As a true wanderer, it ventures into open lands, either with bare ground or with grass, and is found in such places across South Asia. This bird spends most of its time on the ground, where it feeds (mostly on seeds or small insects), nests and roosts.

When startled or disturbed, the bird will take a crouching position before flying off, which is why in some Hindi dialects, it is referred as "dabhak churi" – meaning crouching sparrow.