The greater hoopoe-lark (''Alaemon alaudipes'') is a

passerine A passerine () is any bird of the order Passeriformes (; from Latin 'sparrow' and '-shaped'), which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds, passerines are distinguished from other orders of birds by th ...

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweig ...

which is a breeding resident of arid, desert and semi-desert regions from the

Cape Verde Islands , national_anthem = () , official_languages = Portuguese , national_languages = Cape Verdean Creole , capital = Praia , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , demonym ...

across much of northern Africa, through the Arabian peninsula, Syria, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. It was formerly known as the bifasciated lark and sometimes as the large desert lark.

Taxonomy and systematics

Formerly, the greater hoopoe-lark was classified as belonging to the genera ''

Upupa Hoopoes () are colourful birds found across Africa, Asia, and Europe, notable for their distinctive "crown" of feathers. Three living and one extinct species are recognized, though for many years all of the extant species were lumped as a single ...

'' 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 ''Alaemon''. The name Alaemon comes from the Greek alēmōn, meaning "wanderer" (from alaomai, meaning "to wander"). The genus was established by Alexander Keyserling and Johann Heinrich Blasius in 1840.

Subspecies

Four subspecies are recognized: * Cape Verde greater hoopoe-lark (''A. a. boavistae'') -

Hartert Ernst Johann Otto Hartert (29 October 1859 – 11 November 1933) was a widely published German ornithologist. Life and career Hartert was born in Hamburg, Germany on 29 October 1859. In July 1891, he married the illustrator Claudia Bernadine E ...

, 1917: Found on the Cape Verde Islands * North African greater hoopoe-lark (''A. a. alaudipes'') - (

Desfontaines Desfontaines is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * François-Georges Fouques Deshayes (known as Desfontaines-Lavallée or Desfontaines, 1733-1825), French writer and playwright. * Henri Desfontaines (1876-1931), French film dire ...

, 1789): Found in northern Africa from southern Morocco and Mauritania to the

Sinai Peninsula The Sinai Peninsula, or simply Sinai (now usually ) (, , cop, Ⲥⲓⲛⲁ), is a peninsula in Egypt, and the only part of the country located in Asia. It is between the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Red Sea to the south, and is ...

* ''A. a. desertorum'' - (

Stanley Stanley may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Stanley'' (1972 film), an American horror film * ''Stanley'' (1984 film), an Australian comedy * ''Stanley'' (1999 film), an animated short * ''Stanley'' (1956 TV series) ...

, 1814): Originally described as a separate species in the genus '' Alauda''. Found in north-eastern Sudan to northern Somalia, central Saudi Arabia to southern Yemen * Eastern greater hoopoe-lark (''A. a. doriae'') - ( Salvadori, 1868): Originally described as a separate species in the genus ''

''. Found in eastern Arabia to Iraq, Iran and north-western India

Description

This lark is large, long-legged and slender-bodied with a distinctive down-curved bill. The face has dark markings including a line through the eye and whisker like-lines from the base of bill running under the eye. The breast is spotted and the underside is buffy white while the upper-parts are sandy grey. The female is slightly smaller with less prominent markings and the bill is slightly shorter. The hind claw is short and straight. The curved upper beak has the nostril opening exposed. The tongue is bifid at the tip.

Behaviour and ecology

Birds are seen singly or in pairs as they forage by running or walking in spurts, probing and digging the ground. They have been recorded to feed on the fruiting bodies of certain fungi. The breeding season is mainly after the first rains, in India most records are from March to July. Late records in August when the rains were delayed have been noted in India. The courtship display of the male consists of rising with fluttering wing-strokes and then diving down with closed wings to a perch. The slow flappy start to the song flight recall a

hoopoe Hoopoes () are colourful birds found across Africa, Asia, and Europe, notable for their distinctive "crown" of feathers. Three living and one extinct species are recognized, though for many years all of the extant species were lumped as a single ...

for which this species is named. The striking wing pattern of black wing feathers with a white base and trailing edge; and a white tail with black outer feathers are displayed in flight. The male also sings with rising and falling notes consisting of trilled whistles and clicks that have been transcribed as a ''tee-tee-tee'' followed by a prolonged ''tee-hoo'' while nosediving. The typical call is a rolling ''zreee'' or ''too''. The nest is a cup made up of small sticks and placed on a low bush or on the ground, sometimes at the base of a bush. The nest is prominent and often placed on an isolated bush. Two or three eggs are laid and both sexes take turns in incubation. They feed on insects and other invertebrates, small lizards and seeds. Young birds are capable of swift running even before they can fly. The female may perform

distraction display Distraction displays, also known as diversionary displays, or paratrepsis are anti-predator behaviors used to attract the attention of an enemy away from something, typically the nest or young, that is being protected by a parent. Distraction disp ...

s when the young or nest are threatened. During the heat of the day, they may shelter in the burrows of ''

Uromastyx ''Uromastyx'' is a genus of African and Asian agamid lizards, the member species of which are commonly called spiny-tailed lizards, uromastyces, mastigures, or dabb lizards. Lizards in the genus ''Uromastyx'' are primarily herbivorous, but occa ...

'' lizards. The water loss through their skin varies with temperature and they are able to live in very arid conditions. Their breeding is dependent on the rains and in very dry years they may not breed.

Distribution and populations

The wide distribution consists of several populations that have been designated as subspecies. These include ''boavistae'' of the Cape Verde Islands, the nominate ''alaudipes'' of the north African Sahara region and northern Arabia. Subspecies ''desertorum'' has been assigned to the populations along the Red Sea coast while the eastern population of Iraq, Pakistan and north-western India are assigned to ''doriae''. Forms like ''pallida'' and variety ''cinerea'' are included in ''doriae''.

Gallery

File:AlaemonHead.jpg, Head pattern of male File:AlaemonTarsus.jpg, Tarsus File:Greater hoopoe lark Mauritania.jpg, Perched on a bush (Mauritania) File:Alaemon alaudipes alaudipes MHNT.ZOO.2010.11.165.55.jpg, Eggs of ''Alaemon alaudipes alaudipes ''

References

External links

Photographs and videos
- The Internet Bird Collection {{Taxonbar, from=Q899345 greater hoopoe-lark Birds of Cape Verde Birds of the Middle East Birds of North Africa Birds of Pakistan Greater hoopoe-lark Greater hoopoe-lark