Red-winged lark explained

The red-winged lark (Corypha hypermetra) is a species of lark in the family Alaudidae found in eastern Africa. It was formerly treated as conspecific with the Kidepo lark.

Taxonomy and systematics

The red-winged larkx was formerly placed in the genus Mirafra. It is one of several species that were moved to the resurrected genus Corypha based on the results of a large molecular genetic study by the Swedish ornithologist Per Alström and collaborators that was published in 2023.^{[1] [2]}

The red-winged lark is taken to form a species complex with the allopatric^[3] rufous-naped lark, and perhaps with the Somali lark. The name "red-winged lark" is sometimes used as an alternate name for the Indian bush lark. The alternate names red-winged bush lark and rufous-winged bush lark may also be used to describe the Indian bush lark or the Bengal bush lark respectively.^{[4] [5]}

Subspecies

Two subspecies are recognized:^[1]

• C. h. gallarum (Hartert, EJO, 1907) – Ethiopia
• C. h. hypermetra (Reichenow, 1879) – south Somalia to northeast Tanzania

This species and the Kidepo lark (Corypha kidepoensis) were formerly treated as conspecific. The Kidepo lark was elevated to species status based on results of a comprehensive integrated study of the genus Corypha that was published in 2024.^{[1] [6]}

Description

It is a larger version of the rufous-naped lark, with a more robust bill and longer tail,^[7] but their morphological and vocal features do not intergrade where they occur together.^[8]

Distribution and habitat

It has a patchy but quite extensive range in equatorial eastern Africa. It occurs within Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda, and its estimated global extent of occurrence is 660,000 km². Its total population has yet to be quantified, but is believed to be large.

Its natural habitat is savanna^[7] in tropical to subtropical dry, open, lowland.

References

• Web site: Red-winged Lark – BirdLife Species Factsheet . Compilers: Stuart Butchart, Jonathan Ekstrom . Evaluators: Jeremy Bird, Stuart Butchart . . 2008 . May 10, 2009.

Notes and References

1. Web site: Gill . Frank . Frank Gill (ornithologist) . Donsker . David . Rasmussen . Pamela . Pamela C. Rasmussen . August 2024 . Nicators, Bearded Reedling, larks . IOC World Bird List Version 14.2 . International Ornithologists' Union . 12 September 2024 .
2. Alström . P. . Per Alström . Mohammadi . Z. . Enbody . E.D. . Irestedt . M. . Engelbrecht . D. . Crochet . P.-A. . Guillaumet . A. . Rancilhac . L. . Tieleman . B.I. . Olsson . U. . Donald . P.F. . Stervander . M. . 2023 . Systematics of the avian family Alaudidae using multilocus and genomic data . Avian Research . 14 . 100095 . 10.1016/j.avrs.2023.100095 . free.
3. Book: Britton . P. L. . Birds of East Africa: 612. Mirafra africana Smith Rufous-naped Lark KTU 659 . 1980 . EANHS . Nairobi . 114 .
4. Web site: Mirafra erythroptera – Avibase. avibase.bsc-eoc.org. 2016-11-28.
5. Web site: Mirafra assamica – Avibase. avibase.bsc-eoc.org. 2016-11-28.
6. Alström . P. . Mohammadi . Z. . Donald . P.F. . Nymark . M. . Enbody . E.D. . Irestedt . M. . Elisha . E.B. . Ndithia . H.K. . Tieleman . B.I. . Engelbrecht . D. . Olsson . U. . Rancilhac . L. . Stervander . M. . 2024 . Integrative taxonomy reveals unrecognised species diversity in African Corypha larks (Aves: Alaudidae) . Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society . 200 . 4 . 1080-1108 . 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlad107.
7. Book: Sinclair . Ian. Ryan . Peter . Birds of Africa south of the Sahara . 2010 . Struik Nature . Cape Town . 9781770076235 . 330 . 2nd.
8. Web site: Rufous-naped Lark (Mirafra africana) - HBW 9, p. 551 . Internet Bird Collection . Lynx Edicions. 29 June 2016.