Galerida is a genus of birds in the family Alaudidae. The current scientific name is derived from Latin. Galerida was the name for a lark with a crest, from galerum, "cap".[1] The name Galerida is synonymous with the earlier genus names Calendula, Heliocorys and Ptilocorys.[2]
The genus Galerida was established by the German zoologist Friedrich Boie in 1828.[3] The type species was subsequently designated as the crested lark.[4]
The genus contains seven species:[5]
| Image | Scientific name | Common Name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Galerida deva | central India | ||
| Galerida modesta | Guinea to South Sudan | ||
| Galerida magnirostris | southern Africa | ||
| Galerida theklae | Iberian Peninsula, in northern Africa, and sub-Saharan Africa from Senegal to Somalia | ||
| Galerida cristata | northern Africa and in parts of western Asia and China | ||
| Galerida malabarica | western India. | ||
| Galerida macrorhyncha | Maghreb desert of north-eastern Africa. | ||
There are at least two fossil species which are included in this genus:
Formerly, some authorities also considered the following species (or subspecies) as species within the genus Galerida: