''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 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 ...

) endemic to the islet of Raso in the Cape Verde Islands. Further, at least two additional species are known from the fossil record. The current genus name is from Latin ''alauda'', "lark". Pliny the Elder thought the word was originally of Celtic origin.

Taxonomy and systematics

The genus ''Alauda'' was introduced by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the tenth edition of his ''

Systema Naturae ' (originally in Latin written ' with the ligature æ) is one of the major works of the Swedish botanist, zoologist and physician Carl Linnaeus (1707–1778) and introduced the Linnaean taxonomy. Although the system, now known as binomial nomen ...

''. The type species was subsequently designated as the Eurasian skylark. The genus ''Alauda'' has four extant and at least two extinct species. Formerly, many other species have also been considered to belong to the genus.

Extant species

The genus contains four species:

Extinct species

* †''Alauda xerarvensis'' (late Pliocene of

Varshets Varshets ( bg, Вършец, variously transliterated; ) is a spa town in Montana Province, northwestern Bulgaria. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous Varshets Municipality. As of December 2019, its population is 5,444. The town ...

, Bulgaria) * †''Alauda tivadari'' (late Miocene of Polgardi, Hungary)

Former species

Previously, some authorities also classified the following species (or subspecies) as species within the genus ''Alauda'': * Greater hoopoe-lark (desertorum) (as ''Alauda desertorum'') * Gray's lark (as ''Alauda grayi'') * Short-clawed lark (as ''Alauda chuana'') * Cape long-billed lark (as ''Alauda curvirostris'') * Dusky lark (as ''Alauda nigricans'') * Rufous-rumped lark (as ''Alauda erythropygia'') * Desert lark (as ''Alauda deserti'') * Middle East desert lark (as ''Alauda isabellina'') * Bar-tailed lark (arenicolor) (as ''Alauda arenicolor'') * Senegal chestnut-backed finch-lark (as ''Alauda melanocephala'') * Ashy-crowned sparrow-lark (as ''Alauda grisea'') *

Congo 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 ...

(as ''Alauda plebeja'') *

Bradfield's 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 Fo ...

(as ''Alauda naevia'') * Pink-breasted lark (as ''Alauda poecilosterna'') * Karoo lark (as ''Alauda albescens'') * Karoo lark (codea) (as ''Alauda codea'') * Karoo lark (guttata) (as ''Alauda guttata'') * Dune lark (as ''Alauda erythrochlamys'') *

Eastern clapper lark The eastern clapper lark (''Mirafra fasciolata'') is a small passerine bird which breeds in southern Africa. It derives its name from the wing clapping which forms part of its display flight. Taxonomy and systematics The Eastern clapper lark was ...

(as ''Alauda fasciolata'') * Cape clapper lark (as ''Alauda apiata'') * Woodlark (as ''Alauda arborea'') *

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 ''Alauda fringillaris'') * Pink-billed lark (as ''Alauda conirostris'') * Sykes's lark (as ''Alauda Deva'') *

Large-billed lark The large-billed lark or southern thick-billed lark (''Galerida magnirostris'') is a small passerine bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, ...

(as ''A. magnirostris'') * Crested lark (as ''Alauda cristata'') *

Senegal crested lark The crested lark (''Galerida cristata'') is a species of lark widespread across Eurasia and northern Africa. It is a non-migratory bird, but can occasionally be found as a vagrant in Great Britain. Taxonomy and systematics The crested lark was ...

(as ''Alauda senegallensis'') * Crested lark (leautungensis) (as ''Alauda leautungensis'') *

Indian crested lark The crested lark (''Galerida cristata'') is a species of lark widespread across Eurasia and northern Africa. It is a non-migratory bird, but can occasionally be found as a vagrant in Great Britain. Taxonomy and systematics The crested lark was ...

(as ''Alauda Chendoola'') * Malabar lark (as ''Alauda malabarica'') * Horned lark (as ''Alauda alpestris'') *

Mexican horned lark The horned lark or shore lark (''Eremophila alpestris'') is a species of lark in the family Alaudidae found across the northern hemisphere. It is known as "horned lark" in North America and "shore lark" in Europe. Taxonomy, evolution and syste ...

(as ''Alauda chrysolaema'') *

Shore lark The horned lark or shore lark (''Eremophila alpestris'') is a species of lark in the family Alaudidae found across the northern hemisphere. It is known as "horned lark" in North America and "shore lark" in Europe. Taxonomy, evolution and systema ...

(as ''Alauda flava'') *

Southern horned lark The horned lark or shore lark (''Eremophila alpestris'') is a species of lark in the family Alaudidae found across the northern hemisphere. It is known as "horned lark" in North America and "shore lark" in Europe. Taxonomy, evolution and systema ...

(as ''Alauda Penicillata'') *

Temminck's lark Temminck's lark (''Eremophila bilopha'') or Temminck's horned lark, is a bird species of the family Alaudidae. It breeds across much of north Africa, through northern Saudi Arabia to western Iraq. It is mainly resident, but some populations of ...

(as ''Alauda bilopha'') *

Mongolian short-toed lark The Mongolian short-toed lark or Sykes's short-toed lark (''Calandrella dukhunensis'') is a species of lark in the family Alaudidae. It breeds in China and Mongolia and winters in southern Asia. Taxonomy and systematics The Mongolian short-toed ...

(as ''Alauda Dukhunensis'') *

Red-capped lark The red-capped lark (''Calandrella cinerea'') is a small passerine bird. This lark breeds in the highlands of eastern Africa southwards from Ethiopia and Somaliland. In the south, its range stretches across the continent to Angola and south to t ...

(as ''Alauda cinerea'') * Red-capped lark (spleniata) (as ''Alauda spleniata'') * Greater short-toed lark (as ''Alauda brachydactila'') *

Steppe 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 ''Alauda longipennis'') * Bimaculated lark (as ''Alauda bimaculata'') *

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 ...

(as ''Alauda calandra'') * Black lark (as ''Alauda yeltoniensis'') *

Mongolian lark The Mongolian lark (''Melanocorypha mongolica'') is a species of lark 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. Onl ...

(as ''Alauda mongolica'') *

Dupont's lark Dupont's lark (''Chersophilus duponti'') is a species of lark in the family Alaudidae of the monotypic genus ''Chersophilus''. It is found in northern Africa and Spain. Taxonomy and systematics Dupont's lark was originally described by Louis J ...

(as ''Alauda Duponti'') * Mediterranean short-toed lark (as ''Alauda rufescens'') *

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 ''Alauda raytal'')

References

External links

{{Taxonbar, from=Q378278 Bird genera Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus