The foxy lark or Abyssinian lark (''Calendulauda alopex'') 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 oc ...
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 ...
. It is found in east-central Africa.
Taxonomy and systematics
Formerly, the foxy lark was classified as belonging to 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 found from Africa through South Asia to Australia.
Taxonomy and systematics
The phylogeny of lark ...
'' until moved to ''Calendulauda'' in 2009. Not all authorities recognize this re-classification. Alternate names for the foxy lark include the Abyssinian fawn-colored lark and Somali fawn-coloured bush lark. Clements has merged this bird with the
fawn-colored lark.
Subspecies
Two
subspecies are recognized:
* Masai fawn-coloured lark or Hewitt's clapper lark (''C. a. intercedens'') -
( Reichenow, 1895): Originally described as a separate species 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 found from Africa through South Asia to Australia.
Taxonomy and systematics
The phylogeny of lark ...
''. Found from eastern and southern Ethiopia and western Somalia to eastern Uganda, Kenya and northern Tanzania.
* ''C. a. alopex'' -
( Sharpe, 1890): Found in extreme eastern Ethiopia and northern Somalia
Distribution and habitat
The foxy lark has a large range, with an estimated global extent of occurrence of 100,000-1,000,000 km
2,
where it is found in dense, thorny scrubland.
References
External links
Abyssinian lark songref>Note: Foxy lark song was recorded in
Olongosai, Kenya on April 29, 2008 - xeno-canto
foxy lark
Birds of East Africa
foxy lark
foxy lark
Taxonomy articles created by Polbot
{{Alaudidae-stub