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Alauda

Alauda is a genus of larks found across much of Europe, Asia and in the mountains of north Africa, with one species endemic to the islet of Raso in the Cape Verde Islands. At least two additional species are known from the fossil record. The genus name is from Latin alauda, "lark". Pliny the Elder thought the word was originally of Celtic origin.

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Alauda
Eurasian skylark (Alauda arvensis)
Song of Eurasian skylark
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Alaudidae
Genus: Alauda
Linnaeus, 1758
Type species
Alauda arvensis
Linnaeus, 1758
Species

see text

Alauda is a genus of larks found across much of Europe, Asia and in the mountains of north Africa, with one species (the Raso lark) endemic to the islet of Raso in the Cape Verde Islands.1 At least two additional species are known from the fossil record. The genus name is from Latin alauda, "lark". Pliny the Elder thought the word was originally of Celtic origin.2

Taxonomy and systematics

The genus Alauda was introduced by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae.3 The type species was subsequently designated as the Eurasian skylark.4

The genus Alauda has four extant and at least two extinct species. Formerly, many other species have also been considered to belong to the genus; Linnaeus originally also included pipits and the eastern meadowlark in the genus.3 As the first lark genus described, numerous other larks were also first described as species of Alauda before being transferred to new genera from the early 19th century onwards.

Extant species

The genus contains four species:1

Image Scientific name Common name Distribution
Alauda leucoptera White-winged lark southern Ukraine through Kazakhstan to south-central Russia
Alauda razae Raso lark Raso islet in the Cape Verde Islands
Alauda gulgula Oriental skylark southern, central and eastern Asia
Alauda arvensis Eurasian skylark across Europe and Asia

Extinct species

  • †Alauda xerarvensis (late Pliocene of Varshets, Bulgaria)5
  • †Alauda tivadari (late Miocene of Polgardi, Hungary)6
References

References

  1. Gill, Frank; Donsker, David, eds. (2018). "Nicators, reedling, larks". World Bird List Version 8.2. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 15 July 2018.
  2. Jobling, James A (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. p. 37. ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4.
  3. Linnaeus, Carl (1758). Systema Naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis (in Latin). Vol. 1 (10th ed.). Holmiae:Laurentii Salvii. p. 165.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link)
  4. Mayr, Ernst; Greenway, James C. Jr, eds. (1960). Check-list of Birds of the World. Vol. 9. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Museum of Comparative Zoology. p. 65.
  5. Boev, Z. 2012. Neogene Larks (Aves: Alaudidae (Vigors, 1825)) from Bulgaria - Acta zoologica bulgarica, 64 (3), 2012: 295-318.
  6. Kessler, E. 2013. Neogene songbirds (Aves, Passeriformes) from Hungary. – Hantkeniana, Budapest, 2013, 8: 37-149.
External links