The Bengal bush lark (''Plocealauda assamica'') or Bengal lark is a species of

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 occ ...

in the family

Alaudidae 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 occ ...

found in southern Asia.

Taxonomy and systematics

The Bengal bush lark was formerly placed in the genus ''

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 Australi ...

''. It is one of five species moved to a newly erected genus, ''

Plocealauda ''Plocealauda'' is a genus of larks in the family Alaudidae. Introduced in 2023, it contains five species that were formerly placed in the genus ''Mirafra''. Their distributions range from the Indian subcontinent to Southeast Asia. Taxonomy and ...

'', based on evidence from a large molecular genetic study published in 2023. The species is

monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unisp ...

: no

subspecies In Taxonomy (biology), biological classification, subspecies (: subspecies) is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (Morphology (biology), morpholog ...

are recognised. The Bengal bush lark was earlier classified into several races, the Bengal race ''assamica'' and the Madras race ''affinis''. These were subsequently split, on the basis of diagnostic song and display characters, into the Jerdon's bush lark (''Mirafra affinis'') and ''assamica'' in the strict sense. Formerly, both the Burmese bush lark and Jerdon's bush lark were considered subspecies of the Bengal bush lark (as ''M. a. microptera'' and ''M. a. affinis'' respectively) until split to form a separate species. The alternate name "rufous-winged bush lark" may also be used to describe the

red-winged lark The red-winged lark (''Corypha hypermetra'') is a species of lark in the family Alaudidae found in eastern Africa. It was formerly treated as conspecific with the Kidepo lark. Taxonomy and systematics The red-winged larkx was formerly placed in ...

. Another alternate name for the Bengal bush lark is the rufous-winged lark.

Description

The Bengal bush lark is short-tailed and has a strong stout bill. It is not as long as the

skylark ''Alauda'' is a genus of larks found across much of Europe, Asia and in the mountains of north Africa, and one of the species (the Raso lark) endemic to the islet of Raso in the Cape Verde Islands Cape Verde or Cabo Verde, officially ...

, measuring about 15 centimetres in length. It is dark-streaked grey above, and buff below, with spotting on the breast and behind the eye. The wings are rufous. The song is a repetition of thin disyllabic notes, delivered in a song-flight.

Distribution and habitat

The Bengal bush lark is a resident breeder in the Indian subcontinent and south-east Asia, and found in the countries of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar and Nepal, with an estimated global extent of occurrence of 100,000-1,000,000 square kilometres. It is a common bird of dry, open, stony country often with sparse shrubs, and cultivated areas.

Behaviour and ecology

It nests on the ground, laying three or four speckled

eggs An egg is an organic vessel in which an embryo begins to develop. Egg, EGG or eggs may also refer to: Biology * Egg cell, the female reproductive cell (gamete) in oogamous organisms Food * Eggs as food Places * Egg, Austria * Egg, Switzerland ...

. This lark feeds primarily on seeds and insects, especially the latter during the breeding season.

Gallery

Image:Bengal bushlark 2.jpg, In Kolkata Image:Bengal Bushlark I IMG 5004.jpg, Showing wing colour while preening in

Kolkata Kolkata, also known as Calcutta ( its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary ...

File:Bengal bushlark (Mirafra assamica) in Kolkata W IMG 4592.jpg, In

West Bengal West Bengal (; Bengali language, Bengali: , , abbr. WB) is a States and union territories of India, state in the East India, eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabi ...

, India File:Bengal bushlark (Mirafra assamica) with Paddyfield Pipit (Anthuis rufulus) in Kolkata W IMG 4571.jpg, With

paddyfield pipit The paddyfield pipit or Oriental pipit (''Anthus rufulus'') is a small passerine bird in the pipit and wagtail family. It is a resident (non- migratory) breeder in open scrub, grassland and cultivation in southern Asia east to the Philippines. Al ...

(''Anthus rufulus'') in Kolkata, West Bengal, India File:Bengal bushlark (Mirafra assamica) in Kolkata W IMG 4599.jpg, In Kolkata, West Bengal, India File:Bengal bushlark (Mirafra assamica) in Kolkata W IMG 4596.jpg, In Kolkata, West Bengal, India File:Bengal Bushllark- Kolkata- preening I2 IMG 5000.jpg, Preening in Kolkata, West Bengal, India File:Bengal Bushlark I IMG 2079.jpg, In Kolkata, West Bengal, India File:Bengal Bushlark.jpg, At

Hetauda Hetauda (, ) is a sub-metropolitan city in Makwanpur district of Bagmati Province in central Nepal. It is the administrative headquarters of the Makwanpur district and the capital of Bagmati Province as declared by a majority (105 out of 110) ...

Nepal Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China Ch ...

File:Bengal Bushlark by sumita Roy Dutta IMG 7898 1.jpg, Bengal bush lark in Boshipota, West Bengal, India File:Bengal Bush Lark.png, In Gazipur, Bangladesh

References

External links

Species factsheet
- BirdLife International {{Taxonbar, from=Q779050 Plocealauda Birds of Bhutan Birds of India Birds of Nepal Birds of Bangladesh Birds described in 1840