''The Karoo lark should not be confused with the similarly named

Karoo long-billed lark The Karoo long-billed lark (''Certhilauda subcoronata'') or Karoo longbill is a species of lark in the family Alaudidae. It is found in southern Africa in its natural habitat of subtropical or tropical dry shrubland. Taxonomy and systematics P ...

.'' The Karoo lark (''Calendulauda albescens'') or red-backed lark is a species of lark in the family Alaudidae. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to South Africa where its natural

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

is subtropical or tropical dry

shrubland Shrubland, scrubland, scrub, brush, or bush is a plant community characterized by vegetation dominated by shrubs, often also including grasses, herbs, and geophytes. Shrubland may either occur naturally or be the result of human activity. It m ...

Taxonomy and systematics

The Karoo lark was originally classified in the genus ''

Alauda ''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. Further, at least two additional species are ...

'' and subsequently ''

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 found from Africa through South Asia to Australia. Taxonomy and systematics The phylogeny of lark ...

'' and ''

Certhilauda ''Certhilauda'' is a genus of larks in the family Alaudidae living in the southern regions of Africa. The genus was formerly named ''Heterocorys''. Taxonomy and systematics Extant species The genus ''Certhilauda'' contains six species: * Short- ...

'', until moved to ''Calendulauda'' by the IOC in 2009. Not all authorities have followed this taxonomy change.

Subspecies

Four

subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...

are recognized: * ''C. a. codea'' - ( Smith, A, 1843): Originally described as a separate species in the genus ''

''. Found on the western coast of South Africa * ''C. a. albescens'' - ( Lafresnaye, 1839): Found in south-western South Africa * ''C. a. guttata'' - (Lafresnaye, 1839): Originally described as a separate species in the genus ''Alauda''. Found in western South Africa * ''C. a. karruensis'' -

Roberts Roberts may refer to: People * Roberts (given name), a Latvian masculine given name * Roberts (surname), a popular surname, especially among the Welsh Places * Roberts (crater), a lunar impact crater on the far side of the Moon ;United Stat ...

, 1936: Found in southern South Africa Formerly, some authorities considered both the

dune lark The dune lark (''Calendulauda erythrochlamys'') is a species of lark in the family Alaudidae. It is endemic to Namibia where its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry lowland grassland. Taxonomy and systematics Originally, the dune lar ...

(as ''Certhilauda albescens erythrochlamys'') and

Barlow's lark Barlow's lark (''Calendulauda barlowi'') is a species of lark in the family Alaudidae. It is found in Namibia and South Africa where its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry shrubland. It is threatened by habitat loss. Taxonomy and sys ...

(as ''Certhilauda albescens barlowi'') to be subspecies of the Karoo lark.

Gallery

file:Calendulauda albescens codea 1838, crop.jpg, ''C. a.'' subsp. ''codea'', illustrated by Andrew Smith, 1838 file:Calendulauda albescens guttata 1838, crop.jpg, ''C. a.'' subsp. ''guttata'', illustrated by Andrew Smith, 1838

References

External links

Species text
- ''The Atlas of Southern African Birds''

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 ...

Endemic birds of South Africa

Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Alaudidae-stub