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Mirafra
''Mirafra'' is a genus of lark in the family Alaudidae. Some ''Mirafra'' species are called "larks", while others are called "bush larks". They are all found in Africa except for the singing bush lark that is found through South Asia to Australia. Taxonomy The genus ''Mirafra'' was introduced in 1821 by the American naturalist Thomas Horsfield to accommodate a single species, ''Mirafra javanica'' the singing bush lark, which is therefore considered as the type species. The derivation of the genus name is unknown. A 2023 molecular phylogenetic study of the lark family Alaudidae by the Swedish ornithologist Per Alström ''Per'' Johan Alström (born 9 April 1961) is a Swedish Professor of ornithology. He does research in Taxonomy (biology), taxonomy, systematics, and evolution, with birds in Asia as a specialty. Alström works at the Department of Ecology and Genet ... and his collaborators found that the genus ''Mirafra'' contained deep internal genetic divergences. They theref ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lark
Larks are passerine birds of the family Alaudidae. Larks have a cosmopolitan distribution with the largest number of species occurring in Africa. Only a single species, the horned lark, occurs in North America, and only Horsfield's bush lark occurs in Australia. Habitats vary widely, but many species live in drier regions. When the word "lark" is used without specification, it often refers to the Eurasian skylark ''(Alauda arvensis)''. Taxonomy and systematics The family Alaudidae was introduced in 1825 by the Irish zoologist Nicholas Aylward Vigors as a subfamily Alaudina of the finch family Fringillidae. Larks are a well-defined family, partly because of the shape of their . They have multiple Scute#Birds, scutes on the hind side of their tarsi, rather than the single plate found in most songbirds. They also lack a pessulus, the bony central structure in the syrinx of songbirds. They were long placed at or near the beginning of the songbirds or oscines (now often called Pas ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Singing Bush Lark
The singing bush lark or Horsfield's bush lark (''Mirafra javanica'') is a species of lark which inhabits grassland throughout most of Australia and much of Southeast Asia. It was described by the American naturalist Thomas Horsfield. Taxonomy The singing bush lark was formally described in 1821 by the American naturalist Thomas Horsfield from a specimen collected on the island of Java. He placed the lark in the genus ''Mirafra'' and coined the binomial name ''Mirafra javanica''. The singing bush lark is one of 100 species of larks of the rather large and fairly diverse family, Alaudidae. They are small to medium-small passerines, usually with rather drab, brownish plumage. Predominantly an Old World family, the species are distributed widely across Europe, Africa, Asia and the Indian subcontinent but the singing bush lark is the only species occurring naturally in Wallacea, New Guinea and Australia. The alternate shortened name "bush-lark" can also refer to many of the other sp ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Monotonous Lark
The monotonous lark (''Mirafra passerina'') is a species of lark in the family Alaudidae found in southern Africa. Taxonomy and systematics The alternate names "white-tailed lark" and "white-tailed bush-lark" should not be confused with the species of the same name, ''Mirafra albicauda''. Other alternate names include monotonous bush lark and Southern white-tailed bush-lark. Range The range of the monotonous lark is quite broad, extending over six countries: Angola, Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Its global extent of occurrence is estimated at 1,400,000 km2. Habitat Its natural habitats are dry savanna and subtropical or tropical dry lowland grassland A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominance (ecology), dominated by grasses (Poaceae). However, sedge (Cyperaceae) and rush (Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes such as clover, and other Herbaceo .... References * External links "Territor ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
White-tailed Lark
The white-tailed lark (''Mirafra albicauda'') is a species of lark in the family Alaudidae found in Africa. Taxonomy and systematics Alternate names for the white-tailed lark include northern white-tailed bush lark, northern white-tailed lark and white-tailed bush lark. Distribution and habitat The white-tailed lark is found in western Chad, eastern Sudan, north-eastern South Sudan, south-central Ethiopia, and from Uganda and western Kenya to central Tanzania. It occurs mainly around Lake Chad and Lake Victoria. The natural habitat of ''M. albicauda'' is tropical to subtropical, seasonally wet or flooded lowland grassland A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominance (ecology), dominated by grasses (Poaceae). However, sedge (Cyperaceae) and rush (Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes such as clover, and other Herbaceo .... References * Mirafra Birds of East Africa White-tailed lark Taxonomy articles created by Polbo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Melodious Lark
The melodious lark (''Mirafra cheniana'') is a species of lark in the family Alaudidae found in southern Africa. It is currently threatened by habitat loss. Taxonomy and systematics The alternate name of singing bush lark usually refers to the species of that name, '' Mirafra cantillans''. Other alternate names for the melodious lark include: Latakoo lark, Latakoo bush lark, melodious bushlark, singing bush lark, Southern lark, Southern singing bush lark and Southern singing lark. Distribution and habitat The melodious lark has a probable maximum range of , separated into many disjunct populations located in South Africa (Eastern Cape, the Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, and North West Province), Botswana and Zimbabwe. At times, local populations will abandon one area for another when the regular dry-season fires occur. Habitat The natural habitat of the melodious lark is subtropical or tropical, seasonally wet or flooded, lowland grassland. Within these region ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kordofan Lark
Kordofan lark (''Mirafra cordofanica'') is a species of lark in the family Alaudidae found in Africa. Taxonomy and systematics Alternate names for the Kordofan lark include golden lark, Kordofan bush lark and Kordofan singing bushlark. Distribution and habitat The Kordofan lark has a large range that spans the continent from Mauritania and Senegal to Niger, eastern Chad, southern Sudan and northern South Sudan. Its global extent of occurrence is estimated at 1,900,000 km2. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry shrubland and subtropical or tropical dry lowland grassland A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominance (ecology), dominated by grasses (Poaceae). However, sedge (Cyperaceae) and rush (Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes such as clover, and other Herbaceo .... References Kordofan lark Birds of the Sahel Kordofan lark Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Alaudidae-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Williams's Lark
Williams's lark (''Mirafra williamsi'') is a species of lark in the family Alaudidae. Discovered in 1955, much of its life and ecology is still a mystery to ornithology. Taxonomy and systematics The bird is named after John George Williams (1913–1997) a British ornithologist who was curator of the Coryndon Museum in Nairobi, Kenya (now called the National Museums of Kenya). Alternate names for Williams's lark include Marsabit lark and Williams's bush lark. Distribution and habitat In general, the natural habitat of ''M. williamsi'' is subtropical or tropical dry shrubland. Its range is restricted to northern Kenya where it is found in two disjunct populations: One population is located north of Marsabit, in the Didi Galgalla desert, a region marked by plains of rocky, red lava soils and patches of short-grass and bushes. The other inhabits a particular area (elevated between 600 m and 1,350 m) lying between Isiolo and Garba Tula. It has even, unbroken communiti ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
