''Calandrella'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

of larks in the family Alaudidae.

Taxonomy and systematics

The

''Calandrella'' was established by the German naturalist

Johann Jakob Kaup Johann Jakob von Kaup (10 April 1803 – 4 July 1873) was a German naturalist. A proponent of natural philosophy, he believed in an innate mathematical order in nature and he attempted biological classifications based on the Quinarian system. Kaup ...

in 1829 with the

greater short-toed lark The greater short-toed lark (''Calandrella brachydactyla'') is a small passerine bird. The current scientific name is from Ancient Greek. The genus name, ''Calandrella'', is a diminutive of ''kalandros'', the calandra lark, and ''brachydactila'' ...

as the

type species In 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 species that contains the biological type specimen ...

. The genus name is a diminutive of

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic peri ...

''kalandros'', the

calandra lark The calandra lark (''Melanocorypha calandra'') or European calandra-lark breeds in warm temperate countries around the Mediterranean and eastwards through Turkey into northern Iran and southern Russia. It is replaced further east by its relative ...

. Four of the species in the genus use the shortened name of short-toed lark as an alternate name.

Extant species

Six species are recognized in the genus:

Extinct species

At least one fossil species is included in this genus: * †''Calandrella gali'' (late Miocene of Polgardi, Hungary)

Former species

Some authorities have classified the following species as belonging to the genus ''Calandrella'': * Buckley's lark (as ''Calandrella buckleyi'') *

Obbia lark The Obbia lark (''Spizocorys obbiensis'') is a species of lark in the family Alaudidae. It is found in central Somalia, where it is endemic. Its natural habitat is sub-tropical or tropical dry shrubland. Formerly or presently, some authorities c ...

(as ''Calandrella obbiensis'') * Sclater's lark (as ''Calandrella sclateri'') *

Stark's lark Stark's lark (''Spizocorys starki'') is a species of lark in the family Alaudidae. It is found in Angola, Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa. Its natural habitats are dry savannah and subtropical or tropical dry shrubland. Captain George Shelley ...

(as ''Calandrella starki'') *

Masked lark The masked lark (''Spizocorys personata'') is a species of lark in the family Alaudidae. It is found in Ethiopia and Kenya. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry shrubland and subtropical or tropical dry lowland grassland. Taxono ...

(as ''Calandrella personata'') *

Botha's lark Botha's lark (''Spizocorys fringillaris'') is a species of lark in the family Alaudidae. It is endemic to South Africa. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical high-altitude grassland and pastureland. It is threatened by habitat loss. T ...

(as ''Calandrella fringillaris'') * Pink-billed Lark (as ''Calandrella conirostris'') *

Raso lark The Raso lark (''Alauda razae'') is a small passerine bird with a highly restricted range, being found only on Raso islet in the Cape Verde Islands. This critically endangered member of the family Alaudidae lives in very arid terrain, and is co ...

(as ''Calandrella razae'') *

Athi short-toed lark The Athi short-toed lark (''Alaudala athensis'') is a species of lark in the family Alaudidae. It is found in southern Kenya and northern Tanzania. Taxonomy and systematics The Athi short-toed lark was originally described as belonging to the ge ...

(as ''Calandrella athensis'') *

Asian short-toed lark The Asian short-toed lark (''Alaudala cheleensis'') is a lark in the family Alaudidae. The species was first described by Robert Swinhoe in 1871. It is found from south-central to eastern Asia. Taxonomy and systematics Formerly or presently, s ...

(as ''Calandrella cheleensis'') *

Kazakhstan lesser short-toed lark The Asian short-toed lark (''Alaudala cheleensis'') is a lark in the family Alaudidae. The species was first described by Robert Swinhoe in 1871. It is found from south-central to eastern Asia. Taxonomy and systematics Formerly or presently, ...

(as ''Calandrella leucophaea'') *

Somali short-toed lark The Somali short-toed lark (''Alaudala somalica'') is a small passerine bird of the lark family found in eastern and north-eastern Africa. The habitat of the Somali short-toed lark is subtropical or tropical dry lowland grassland. Taxonomy and ...

(as ''Calandrella somalica'') *

Sand lark The sand lark (''Alaudala raytal'') is a small passerine bird in the lark family, Alaudidae, found in southern Asia. It is somewhat similar to, but smaller than the short-toed larks. Taxonomy and systematics The sand lark was originally assign ...

(as ''Calandrella raytal'')

References

Bird genera Taxa named by Johann Philipp Achilles Leisler Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Alaudidae-stub