Barlow's lark (''Calendulauda barlowi'') 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 oc ...

. It is found in

Namibia Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and e ...

and

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring count ...

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 ...

. It is threatened by

habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...

Taxonomy and systematics

Originally, Barlow's lark was classified as belonging to the genus '' Pseudammomanes'', then later by ''

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 in 2009. Formerly, some authorities considered Barlow's lark as a subspecies of either the

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 natu ...

(as ''Certhilauda albescens barlowi'') or the dune lark (as ''Certhilauda erythrochlamys barlowi''). Not all authorities recognize each of these re-classifications. The common name and scientific name commemorate the South African businessman and conservationist

Charles Sydney Barlow Charles Sydney Barlow (10 May 1905 – 1 June 1979) was a South African businessman, conservationist and philanthropist who built up Barlow Rand into one of South Africa's biggest companies. In his youth, he was also a sportsman: as a cricketer ...

Subspecies

Three subspecies are recognized: * ''Calendulauda barlowi barlowi'' (

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 ...

, 1937): Found from the Koichab River to Aus (south-western Namibia) * ''Calendulauda barlowi patae'' (

Macdonald Macdonald, MacDonald or McDonald may refer to: Organisations * McDonald's, a chain of fast food restaurants * McDonald & Co., a former investment firm * MacDonald Motorsports, a NASCAR team * Macdonald Realty, a Canadian real estate brokerage f ...

, 1953): Found in coastal south-western Namibia to north-western South Africa * ''Calendulauda barlowi cavei'' (Macdonald, 1953): Found in inland south-western Namibia to north-western South Africa. Some authorities consider Cave's lark to be a separate species.

References

Barlow's lark Birds of Southern Africa Barlow's lark Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Taxobox binomials not recognized by IUCN {{Alaudidae-stub