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 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 ...

of 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

Previously, the Karoo long-billed lark was considered by some authorities to comprise several subspecies of the

Cape long-billed lark The Cape long-billed lark (''Certhilauda curvirostris''), also known as the Cape lark, Cape longbill or long-billed lark is a species of lark in the family Alaudidae. It is found in south-western Africa. Its natural habitats are semi-arid Karoo s ...

. Confusingly, the terms Damara longbill and Damaraland long-billed lark are used for both the Karoo long-billed lark and the

Benguela long-billed lark The Benguela long-billed lark (''Certhilauda benguelensis''), also known as the Benguela lark or Benguela longbill is a species of lark in the family Alaudidae. It is found in south-western Africa. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical ...

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: * Damara longbill, Damara long-billed lark or Damaraland long-billed lark (''C. s. damarensis'') - ( Sharpe, 1904): Originally described as a separate species in the genus ''

Alaemon ''Alaemon'' is a genus of birds in the family Alaudidae, commonly called hoopoe larks. Taxonomy and systematics The name ''Alaemon'' comes from the Greek ''alēmōn'', meaning "wanderer" (from ''alaomai'', meaning "to wander"). The genus was est ...

''. Found in central Namibia * Gordonia longbill, Gordonia long-billed lark or large-billed Sabota lark (''C. s. bradshawi'') - (Sharpe, 1904): Originally described as a separate species in the genus ''Alaemon''. Found in southern Namibia and north-western South Africa. Confusingly, the

Sabota 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. Taxonomy and systematics ...

is also sometimes called the large-billed Sabota lark * ''C. s. subcoronata'' - Smith, 1843: Found in west-central South Africa * ''C. s. gilli'' - Roberts, 1936: Found in southern South Africa

Gallery

File:Certhilauda subcoronata 1838, crop.jpg, Nominate subsp. illustrated by Andrew Smith, 1838. Note the greyish collar, a field mark of the species. File:Karoo Long-billed Lark (Certhilauda subcoronata) (6437061545), crop.jpg, Immature of the Gordonia longbill subspecies at

Augrabies Falls The Augrabies Falls is a waterfall on the Orange River, the largest river in South Africa. Since 1966 the waterfall, set in a desolate and rugged milieu, is enclosed by the Augrabies Falls National Park. The falls are around in height. Some so ...

References

Karoo long-billed lark Karoo long-billed lark Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Alaudidae-stub