Flappet lark

The flappet lark (Mirafra rufocinnamomea) is a species of lark in the family Alaudidae, widespread across Sub-Saharan Africa. The name flappet originates from the distinctive wing flapping sound made during its breeding season.[3]

Flappet lark
M. r. fischeri in the DRC
M. r. kawirondensis in Uganda
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Dinosauria
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Alaudidae
Genus: Mirafra
Species:
M. rufocinnamomea
Binomial name
Mirafra rufocinnamomea
(Salvadori, 1866)
Subspecies

See text

     resident range[2]
Synonyms
  • Megalophonus rufocinnamomea
  • Mirafra fischeri
  • Mirafra rufo-cinnamomea

Taxonomy and systematics

The flappet lark and the Cape clapper lark are regarded as forming a superspecies with the Eastern clapper lark.[4] The alternate name "cinnamon bush lark" is also an alternate name for Horsfield's bush lark.

Subspecies

Fifteen subspecies are recognized:[5]

  • Buckley's lark or West African cinnamon bush-lark, M. r. buckleyi (Shelley, 1873): Originally described as a separate species in the genus Calandrella. Found from southern Mauritania and Senegal to northern Cameroon
  • M. r. serlei White, CMN, 1960: Found in south-eastern Nigeria
  • Ubangi cinnamon lark, M. r. tigrina Oustalet, 1892: Originally described as a separate species. Found from eastern Cameroon to northern Democratic Republic of Congo
  • Darfur flappet lark, M. r. furensis Lynes, 1923: Found in west-central Sudan
  • Sobat flappet lark, M. r. sobatensis Lynes, 1914: Originally described as a separate species. Found in central Sudan
  • M. r. rufocinnamomea (Salvadori, 1865): Found in north-western and central Ethiopia
  • Abyssinian flappet lark, M. r. omoensis Neumann, 1928: Found in south-western Ethiopia
  • M. r. torrida Shelley, 1882: Found from south-eastern Sudan and northern Ethiopia to northern Uganda, central Kenya and central Tanzania
  • Rwenzori flappet lark, M. r. kawirondensis van Someren, 1921: Found in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, western Uganda and western Kenya
  • Nyasaland flappet lark, M. r. fischeri (Reichenow, 1878): Originally described as a separate species. Found in Angola, southern Democratic Republic of Congo, northern Zambia and northern Mozambique north through eastern Tanzania, eastern Kenya to southern Somalia
  • M. r. schoutedeni White, CMN, 1956: Found in Gabon and Central African Republic to western Democratic Republic of Congo and north-western Angola
  • M. r. lwenarum White, CMN, 1945: Found in north-western Zambia
  • M. r. smithersi White, CMN, 1956: Found in northern Zambia, Zimbabwe, north-eastern Botswana and northern South Africa
  • M. r. pintoi White, CMN, 1956: Found in southern Mozambique, Eswatini and north-eastern South Africa
  • M. r. mababiensis (Roberts, 1932): Found in western Zambia to central Botswana

Distribution and habitat

The flappet lark has a large range covering much of the African continent with an estimated global extent of occurrence of 10,000,000 km2.[1] Its natural habitats are dry savannah, moist savannah, and subtropical or tropical dry lowland grassland.

References
  1. BirdLife International (2017). "Mirafra rufocinnamomea". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2017: e.T22717068A118709779. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T22717068A118709779.en. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  2. Based on maps in the Handbook of the Birds of the World and the BirdLife data zone
  3. Wingflap Dialects in the Flappet Lark https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/handle/2027.42/75566/j.1474-919X.1973.tb02644.x.pdf?sequence=1
  4. Keith, Stuart; Urban, Emil K.; Martin., Woodcock; Ian., Willis (2000-01-01). The birds of Africa. Vol. 6. Academic Press. ISBN 0121373061. OCLC 59539112.
  5. "IOC World Bird List 6.4". IOC World Bird List Datasets. doi:10.14344/ioc.ml.6.4.
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