Rufous-naped Lark is famous for its crest and all of the Southern African field guides refer to this feature. It is important to know that Rufous-naped Larks can lower their crests and are often seen without a crest.

A Rufous-naped Lark without a crest can be a very confusing LBJ. These crests are used by the singing males to show off to would-be mates. When not singing in the breeding season, this crest is lowered and it often appears that the bird has no crest.

It is not only Rufous-naped that has a crest. The larks in Southern Africa that have a crest include Rufous-naped, Cape Clapper, Eastern Clapper, Monotonous and Large-billed. One should be very careful using the crest alone as an ID feature. You also need to be careful when seeing these birds with the crest down of not misidentifying them as something else.