''Mirafra'' is a genus 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 ...

. Some ''Mirafra'' species are called "larks", while others are called "bush larks". They are all found in Africa except for the

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 T ...

that is found through South Asia to Australia.

Taxonomy

The genus ''Mirafra'' was introduced in 1821 by the American naturalist

Thomas Horsfield Thomas Horsfield (May 12, 1773 – July 24, 1859) was an American physician and natural history, naturalist who worked extensively in Indonesia, describing numerous species of plants and animals from the region. He was later a curator of the Eas ...

to accommodate a single species, ''Mirafra javanica'' the

, which is therefore considered as the

type species In International_Code_of_Zoological_Nomenclature, zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the spe ...

. The derivation of the genus name is unknown. A 2023

molecular phylogenetic Molecular phylogenetics () is the branch of phylogeny that analyzes genetic, hereditary molecular differences, predominantly in DNA sequences, to gain information on an organism's evolutionary relationships. From these analyses, it is possible to ...

study of the lark family

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 therefore split ''Mirafra'' into four genera, each corresponding to a major clade. Species were moved to ''

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 ...

'', ''

Amirafra ''Amirafra'' is a genus of larks in the family Alaudidae. It contains three species that were formerly placed in the genus ''Mirafra''. These larks are found in sub-Sahara Africa. Taxonomy A 2023 molecular phylogenetic study of the lark family A ...

'' and ''

Corypha ''Corypha'' or the gebang palm, buri palm or talipot palm is a genus of palms (family Arecaceae), native to India, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, New Guinea and northeastern Australia (Cape York Peninsula, Queensland). They are fan pa ...

'' leaving only seven species remaining in ''Mirafra''.

Extant species

The genus contains seven species:

Former species

Some authorities, either presently or formerly, recognize several additional species as belonging to the genus ''Mirafra'', including: *

Short-clawed lark The short-clawed lark (''Certhilauda chuana'') or short-clawed bush-lark, is a species of lark in the family Alaudidae. It is found in Botswana and South Africa. Its natural habitat is dry savannah. Taxonomy and systematics Originally, the short ...

(as ''Mirafra chuana'') *

Dusky lark The dusky lark (''Pinarocorys nigricans''), also known as the dusky bush lark or rufous-rumped bush lark, is a species of migratory lark in the family Alaudidae. It is native to the southern Afrotropics. Range It is found in southern Central Afr ...

(as ''Mirafra nigricans'') *

Rufous-rumped lark The rufous-rumped lark (''Pinarocorys erythropygia'') is a species of lark in the family Alaudidae. It is found in western and central Africa from Mali, Guinea and Sierra Leone to eastern Sudan, South Sudan and north-western Uganda. Its natural h ...

(as ''Mirafra erythropygia'' or ''Mirafra nigricans erythropygia'') * Indian desert finch-lark (as ''Mirafra phoenicuroides'') *

Rufous-tailed lark The rufous-tailed lark (''Ammomanes phoenicura''), also sometimes called the rufous-tailed finch-lark, is a ground bird found in the drier open stony habitats of India and parts of Pakistan. Like other species in the genus it has a large finch-li ...

(as ''Mirafra phoenicura'') * Madagascan lark (as ''Mirafra hova'') * Sabota lark (as ''Mirafra sabota'') *

Bradfield's lark The sabota lark (''Calendulauda sabota'') is a species of lark in the family Alaudidae. It is found in southern Africa in its natural habitats of dry savannah, moist savannah, and subtropical or tropical dry shrubland. It is generally sedentary bu ...

(as ''Mirafra naevia'') *

Pink-breasted lark The pink-breasted lark (''Calendulauda poecilosterna'') or pink-breasted bushlark is a species of passerine bird in the family Alaudidae. Taxonomy and systematics This species was originally classified in the genus ''Alauda'' and then ''Mirafra' ...

(as ''Mirafra poecilosterna'') * Foxy lark (as ''Mirafra alopex'') *

Masai fawn-coloured lark The fawn-coloured lark (''Calendulauda africanoides'') or fawn-coloured bush-lark is a species of lark in the family Alaudidae. It is found in south-central Africa. Taxonomy and systematics Formerly, the fawn-coloured lark was classified as belo ...

(as ''Mirafra intercedens'') * Fawn-coloured lark (as ''Mirafra africanoides'') *

Karoo lark ''The Karoo lark should not be confused with the similarly named Karoo long-billed lark.'' The Karoo lark (''Calendulauda albescens'') or red-backed lark is a species of lark in the family Alaudidae. It is endemic to South Africa where its nat ...

(as ''Mirafra albescens'' or ''Mirafra nivosa'') *

Red lark The red lark (''Calendulauda burra''), also known as the ferruginous lark or ferruginous sand-lark, is a species of lark in the family Alaudidae. It is found in western South Africa and possibly Namibia. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tr ...

(as ''Mirafra burra'') * Dune lark (as ''Mirafra erythrochlamys'') * Barlow's lark (as ''Mirafra erythrochlamys barlowi'') *

Rudd's lark Rudd's lark (''Heteromirafra ruddi'') is a species of lark in the family Alaudidae. It is endemic to South Africa. Its natural habitat is high-altitude grassland. It is threatened by habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat los ...

(as ''Mirafra ruddi'') * Archer's lark (as ''Mirafra archeri'') * Sidamo lark (as ''Mirafra sidamoensis'') *

Ngaundere sun lark The sun lark (''Galerida modesta'') or Nigerian sun lark, is a species of lark in the family Alaudidae. Its range extends mainly across the Sudan region (south of the Sahel), from Guinea to South Sudan. Its natural habitats are dry savannah and ...

(as ''Mirafra strümpelli'') * Uele sun lark (as ''Mirafra bucolica'')

References

Alaudidae Bird genera Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Alaudidae-stub