Spike Heeled Lark

The spike-heeled lark (Chersomanes albofasciata) is a species of lark in the family Alaudidae. It is found in southern Africa.^[2]

Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry shrubland and subtropical or tropical seasonally wet or flooded lowland grassland.^[1]

Taxonomy and systematics

Originally, the spike-heeled lark was considered to belong to the genus Certhilauda (as C. albofasciata).^[3] Alternately, it has been called the rufous long-billed lark.

Subspecies

Presently, ten subspecies are recognized.^[4] Additionally, Beesley's lark was also formerly classified as a subspecies of the spike-heeled lark.^[5]

• Benguella rufous long-billed lark (C. a. obscurata) - Hartert, 1907: Found in south-western and central Angola
• Ovampo rufous long-billed lark (C. a. erikssoni) - (Hartert, 1907): Found in northern Namibia
• C. a. kalahariae - (Ogilvie-Grant, 1912): Originally described as a separate species in the genus Certhilauda. Found in southern and western Botswana, northern South Africa
• C. a. boweni - (Meyer de Schauensee, 1931): Found in north-western Namibia
• Damara rufous long-billed lark (C. a. arenaria) - (Reichenow, 1904): Found in southern Namibia and south-western South Africa
• C. a. barlowi - White, CMN, 1961: Found in eastern Botswana
• C. a. alticola - Roberts, 1932: Found in north-eastern South Africa
• Rufous long-billed lark (C. a. albofasciata) - (Lafresnaye, 1836): Found in south-eastern Botswana to central South Africa
• C. a. garrula - (Smith, A, 1846): Originally described as a separate species in the genus Certhilauda. Found in western South Africa
• C. a. macdonaldi - (Winterbottom, 1958): Found in southern South Africa

Gallery

• 

  A pair in flight
• 

  C. albofasciata alticola at Suikerbosrand, Gauteng
• 

  C. a. kalahariae in the Kgalagadi T. F. Park

References