The Grey-backed Sparrow-Lark uses open, sparsely grassed ground, including sandy and gravel plains. Its black head and neck contrast with large white ear patches.
It has a short bill and short legs, with a black head and neck and large, distinctive white ear patches.
It pecks seeds and spiders from the ground. It uses open dry grassland, acacia scrub, semi-desert, and fields, and can move nomadically with changing conditions.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.