White-winged lark seen in southern France
First official sighting of white-winged lark in the country
A white-winged lark was seen in the Camargue region, near Montpellier
Thomas Blanchon
A white-winged lark (alouette leucoptère), native to central Asia and considered an extremely rare sight in western Europe, has been seen in southern France.
It is the first officially documented observation of the species in France and was spotted in the Camargue region, near Montpellier on April 18 by ornithologists Thomas Blanchon and Fany Jariod.
The lark was seen flying at close range in the Beauduc area of the Camargue, passing roughly 10 metres in front of them before landing about 100 metres away in grass.
“It was around 19:15 when the bird flew past us,” Mr Blanchon told The Connexion. “We were on site observing migratory passerines along the seashore in the bushes. It all happened very quickly before it landed and disappeared into the vegetation.”
“We were immediately struck by the wing pattern and the extensive white along the trailing edge. We quickly realised it was either a bird with an abnormal plumage or a rare species.”
The lark was difficult to approach, moving repeatedly and flying at various heights.
“After about 45 minutes of hide-and-seek, it allowed us to approach around 40 metres. It was feeding in the vegetation and along the embankment, staying within a fairly restricted area and not interacting with other species,” Mr Blanchon said.
Once able to take photographs an image was sent for confirmation to two colleagues, ornithologists Julien Birard and Thomas Dagonet, working with the same team at Tour du Valat, a research institute for the conservation of Mediterranean wetlands.
“They sent me photos asking for my opinion. They knew they were dealing with a very rare species, exceptionally improbable in this region. In such cases, you contact ornithologist friends for extra confirmation,” Mr Birard said to The Connexion.
“When I saw the photo I thought it was a joke, it was so unexpected,” he added.
The lark was discovered late in the day in a remote area with restricted access, making a visit before nightfall unrealistic.
“Happy and privileged to be the first observers of this species in France”
The following morning, Mr Birard was working nearby at a bird ringing station in the Camargue. After being informed that the bird had been seen again at dawn, he joined the observers on site around mid-morning.
By the time he arrived the bird had been seen by multiple people but had been absent for a period. It later reappeared allowing brief but clear views.
It was seen feeding along the embankment and near shallow water before flying back toward the saltmarshes.
“We felt both happy and privileged to be the first observers of a species never before recorded in the country.” Mr Blanchon added.
The white-winged lark is more normally found in Central Asia, with the previous Western European sighting dating back to 1981 in Norfolk, United Kingdom.
Even compared with other rare bird occurrences in France, such as the martin-pêcheur d’Amérique in Brittany in 2025, Mr Birard considers this observation exceptionally unexpected in terms of likelihood.
“Given its distribution and known movements, it is highly unlikely that the species will be observed again in France in the near future,” he said.
