Red Lark Believed Extinct for Nearly a Century Finally Photographed by a French Duo

A little-known species, the russet lark has recently had its portrait taken by two French ornithology enthusiasts. These are the first photographs of the species in the wild, as well as its first confirmed observations in 94 years.

Calendulauda rufa Finally Reveals Its Beak

Small bird with a beige plumage speckled in brown, Calendulauda rufa was historically known to inhabit Niger, Chad, and Sudan. While, over the past decades, several reports suggested its presence in these parts of the African continent, the most recently confirmed evidence amounted to a handful of specimens collected by American naturalist George Latimer Bates in 1931.

Regularly traveling to Chad to study aquatic bird species, Pierre Defos du Rau and Julien Birard recently had the opportunity to photograph, up close, the elusive bird, measuring about fifteen centimeters in length and weighing around 30 grams.

After roughly ten days spent ringing ducks at Lake Fitri, in the central-southern part of the country, the duo found themselves on February 2 in an area where a pair of Kordofan sparrows had been observed. While they were deploying their photographic gear, those birds flew away, but the famous lark was later spotted.

📷 FOUND after 94 years with first-ever photos taken!
The Rusty Lark hadn’t been confirmed since 1931 — until a February expedition in Chad led by Pierre Defos du Rau, Julien Birard, & local guide Idriss Dapsia.
More:https://t.co/Wu4sJTm4Bk
ABC, @Rewild, and @BirdLife_News. pic.twitter.com/xWP1XUCUeh

— American Bird Conservancy (@ABCbirds) May 12, 2026

Careful comparisons of its pictures with those of its close relatives established that it was indeed C. rufa, producing the first confirmed images known of this species, which was seen again on February 15.

A Minor Conservation Concern for the IUCN

Although these are the first solid observations of the russet lark in a little under a century, the bird had never been listed as extinct and was even regarded as a species of minor concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

A status largely tied to its broad geographic distribution, and the fact that a substantial portion of it lies in regions with troubled sociopolitical contexts, complicating the organization of scientific expeditions.

Two years ago, a very different species was rediscovered in South Africa after nearly 90 years on the radar: Winton’s golden mole.