Angola lark explained

The Angola lark (Amirafra angolensis) or Angola bushlark is a species of lark in the family Alaudidae found in southern and central Africa.

Taxonomy

The Angola 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.^{[1] [2]}

Three subspecies are recognised:^[1]

• A. a. marungensis (Hall, BP, 1958) – southeast DR Congo and southwest Tanzania
• A. a. angolensis (Barboza du Bocage, 1880) – north, west, central Angola
• A. a. antonii (Hall, BP, 1958) – east Angola to south DR Congo and northwest Zambia

Distribution and habitat

The range of the Angola lark is sizable, and is found in Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania and Zambia. It is estimated to have a global extent of occurrence of about 170,000 square km. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry, or seasonally wet, lowland grassland.

External links

• Web site: Angolan 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 . 10 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.