Flappet lark

Flappet lark
	A. r. fischeri in the DRC
	A. r. kawirondensis in Uganda
Conservation status
	; Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Alaudidae
Genus:	Amirafra
Species:	A. rufocinnamomea
Binomial name
	Amirafra rufocinnamomea; (Salvadori, 1866)
Subspecies
	See text
	resident range
Synonyms
	Megalophonus rufocinnamomea; Mirafra fischeri; Mirafra rufo-cinnamomea;

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

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 the singing bush lark.

The flappet lark was formerly placed in the genus Mirafra. It is one of three species that were moved to the resurrected genus Amirafra based on the results of a large molecular genetic study by the Swedish ornithologist Per Alström and collaborators that was published in 2023.^[5]^[6]

Subspecies

Fifteen subspecies are recognised:^[5]

A. r. buckleyi (Shelley, 1873) – south Mauritania and Senegal to north Cameroon
A. r. serlei (White, CMN, 1960) – southeast Nigeria
A. r. tigrina (Oustalet, 1892) – east Cameroon to north DR Congo
A. r. furensis (Lynes, 1923) – central west Sudan
A. r. sobatensis (Lynes, 1914) – central Sudan
A. r. rufocinnamomea (Salvadori, 1866) – northwest, central Ethiopia
A. r. omoensis (Neumann, 1928) – southwest Ethiopia
A. r. torrida (Shelley, 1882) – southeast Sudan and south Ethiopia to north Uganda, central Kenya and central Tanzania
A. r. kawirondensis (Van Someren, 1921) – east DR Congo, west Uganda and west Kenya
A. r. fischeri (Reichenow, 1878) – Angola, south DR Congo, north Zambia and north Mozambique north through east Tanzania, east Kenya to south Somalia
A. r. schoutedeni (White, CMN, 1956) – Gabon and Central African Republic to west DR Congo and northwest Angola
A. r. lwenarum (White, CMN, 1945) – northwest Zambia
A. r. smithersi (White, CMN, 1956) – north Zambia, Zimbabwe, northeast Botswana and north South Africa
A. r. pintoi (White, CMN, 1956) – south Mozambique, Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) and northeast South Africa
A. r. mababiensis (Roberts, 1932) – west 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

^ ^a ^b 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.
^ Based on maps in the Handbook of the Birds of the World and the BirdLife data zone
^ 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
^ Keith, Stuart; Urban, Emil K.; Martin., Woodcock; Ian., Willis (2000-01-01). The birds of Africa. Vol. 6. Academic Press. ISBN 0121373061. OCLC 59539112.
^ ^a ^b Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (August 2024). "Nicators, Bearded Reedling, larks". IOC World Bird List Version 14.2. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 10 September 2024.
^ Alström, P.; 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. doi:10.1016/j.avrs.2023.100095.

External links

Species factsheet^{[permanent dead link]} - BirdLife International
Species text - The Atlas of Southern African Birds

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[iucn_status_13_November_2021-1] 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.

[ioc-5] Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (August 2024). "Nicators, Bearded Reedling, larks". IOC World Bird List Version 14.2. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 10 September 2024.

[6] Alström, P.; 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. doi:10.1016/j.avrs.2023.100095.

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v t e Larks (Family: Alaudidae)
Genus	Species
Alaemon	Greater hoopoe-lark Lesser hoopoe-lark
Chersomanes	Beesley's lark Spike-heeled lark
Ammomanopsis	Gray's lark
Certhilauda	Short-clawed lark Karoo long-billed lark Benguela long-billed lark Eastern long-billed lark Cape long-billed lark Agulhas long-billed lark
Pinarocorys	Dusky lark Rufous-rumped lark
Ramphocoris	Thick-billed lark
Ammomanes	Desert lark Bar-tailed lark Rufous-tailed lark
Eremopterix	Black-eared sparrow-lark Madagascar lark Black-crowned sparrow-lark Chestnut-backed sparrow-lark Ashy-crowned sparrow-lark Chestnut-headed sparrow-lark Grey-backed sparrow-lark Fischer's sparrow-lark
Calendulauda	Sabota lark Pink-breasted lark Foxy lark Fawn-coloured lark Karoo lark Red lark Dune lark Barlow's lark
Heteromirafra	Rudd's lark Archer's lark
Mirafra	Eastern clapper lark Cape clapper lark Red-winged lark Rufous-naped lark Flappet lark Angola lark Williams's lark Monotonous lark Melodious lark Horsfield's bush lark Singing bush lark Burmese bush lark Bengal bush lark Indochinese bush lark Indian bush lark Jerdon's bush lark Gillett's lark (Degodi lark) Rusty bush lark Collared lark Ash's lark Somali lark Friedmann's lark Kordofan lark White-tailed lark
Lullula	Woodlark
Spizocorys	Obbia lark Sclater's lark Stark's lark Short-tailed lark Masked lark Botha's lark Pink-billed lark
Alauda	White-winged lark Raso lark Oriental skylark Eurasian skylark
Galerida	Sykes's lark Sun lark Large-billed lark Thekla's lark Crested lark Malabar lark Maghreb lark
Eremophila	Horned lark Temminck's lark
Calandrella	Hume's short-toed lark Mongolian short-toed lark Erlanger's lark Blanford's lark Red-capped lark Greater short-toed lark
Melanocorypha	Bimaculated lark Calandra lark Black lark Mongolian lark Tibetan lark
Chersophilus	Dupont's lark
Eremalauda	Dunn's lark Arabian lark
Alaudala	Athi short-toed lark Asian short-toed lark Somali short-toed lark Mediterranean short-toed lark Turkestan short-toed lark Sand lark