Red-winged lark

The red-winged lark (Mirafra hypermetra) is a species of lark in the family Alaudidae found in eastern Africa.

Red-winged lark
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Alaudidae
Genus: Mirafra
Species:
M. hypermetra
Binomial name
Mirafra hypermetra
(Reichenow, 1879)
Subspecies

See text

     resident range
Synonyms
  • Spilocorydon hypermetrus

Taxonomy and systematics

The red-winged lark is taken to form a species complex with the allopatric[2] rufous-naped lark, and perhaps with the Somali lark. The name "red-winged lark" is sometimes used as an alternate name for the Indian bush lark. The alternate names red-winged bush lark and rufous-winged bush lark may also be used to describe the Indian bush lark or the Bengal bush lark respectively.[3][4]

Subspecies

Four subspecies are recognized:[5]

  • M. h. kathangorensis - Cave, 1940: Found in south-eastern Sudan
  • M. h. kidepoensis - Macdonald, 1940: Found in southern Sudan and north-eastern Uganda
  • Galla red-winged lark (M. h. gallarum) – Hartert, 1907: Found in Ethiopia
  • M. h. hypermetra – (Reichenow, 1879): Found in southern Somalia to north-eastern Tanzania

Description

It is a larger version of the rufous-naped lark, with a more robust bill and longer tail,[6] but their morphological and vocal features do not intergrade where they occur together.[7]

Distribution and habitat

It has a patchy but quite extensive range in equatorial eastern Africa. It occurs within Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda, and its estimated global extent of occurrence is 660,000 km2.[1] Its total population has yet to be quantified, but is believed to be large.[1]

Its natural habitat is savanna[6] in tropical to subtropical dry, open, lowland.

References
  1. BirdLife International (2012). "Mirafra hypermetra". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2012. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
  2. Britton, P. L., ed. (1980). Birds of East Africa: 612. Mirafra africana Smith Rufous-naped Lark KTU 659. Nairobi: EANHS. p. 114.
  3. "Mirafra erythroptera – Avibase". avibase.bsc-eoc.org. Retrieved 2016-11-28.
  4. "Mirafra assamica – Avibase". avibase.bsc-eoc.org. Retrieved 2016-11-28.
  5. "IOC World Bird List 6.4". IOC World Bird List Datasets. doi:10.14344/ioc.ml.6.4.
  6. Sinclair, Ian; Ryan, Peter (2010). Birds of Africa south of the Sahara (2nd ed.). Cape Town: Struik Nature. p. 330. ISBN 9781770076235.
  7. "Rufous-naped Lark (Mirafra africana) - HBW 9, p. 551". Internet Bird Collection. Lynx Edicions. Retrieved 29 June 2016.


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