Rusty bush lark explained

The rusty bush lark (Calendulauda rufa), also known as the rusty lark is a species of lark in the family Alaudidae found in the Sahel region of north-central Africa.

Taxonomy and systematics

The rusty bush lark was formerly placed in the genus Mirafra. It was moved to Calendulauda based on its vocalizations and plumage combined with the results of a large molecular genetic study of the Alaudidae by Per Alström and collaborators that was published in 2023.^{[1] [2]}

Subspecies

Three subspecies are recognized:^[1]

• C. r. nigriticola (Bates, GL, 1932) – Mali to Niger
• C. r. rufa (Lynes, 1920) – Chad and west Sudan
• C. r. lynesi (Grant, CHB & Mackworth-Praed, 1933) – central Sudan

Distribution and habitat

The range of the rusty bush lark is large, with an estimated global extent of occurrence of 470,000 km². It is typically found inhabiting the dry savannah ecoregions of Chad, Mali, Niger, Sudan, and Togo.

References

• Web site: Rusty Lark - BirdLife Species Factsheet . Compilers: Stuart Butchart, Jonathan Ekstrom . Evaluators: Jeremy Bird, Stuart Butchart . . 2008 . May 11, 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 . 9 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.