Spizocorys
| Spizocorys | |
|---|---|
| |
| Juvenile S. fringillaris (top), adult S. starki (left) and S. sclateri (right) | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Alaudidae |
| Genus: | Spizocorys Sundevall, 1872 |
| Type species | |
| Alauda conirostris Sundevall, 1850
| |
| Species | |
|
7, see text | |
| |
| range of genus | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Spizocorys is a genus of African larks in the family Alaudidae found in southern and eastern Africa.
Taxonomy
[edit]The genus Spizocorys was introduced in 1872 by the Swedish zoologist Carl Jakob Sundevall with the type species as Alauda conirostris Sundevall, 1850, the pink-billed lark.[1][2] The genus name combines the Ancient Greek σπιζα/spiza meaning "finch" or "sparrow" with Modern Latin corys meaning "lark".[3]
Species
[edit]The genus contains seven species:[4]
- Stark's lark, Spizocorys starki – far southwestern Angola to Namibia, southwestern Botswana, and northwestern South Africa
- Masked lark, Spizocorys personata – Ethiopia and Kenya
- Pink-billed lark, Spizocorys conirostris – central south Africa
- Botha's lark, Spizocorys fringillaris – northeastern South Africa (southern Mpumalanga and eastern Free State)
- Short-tailed lark, Spizocorys fremantlii – east and northeast Africa
- Obbia lark, Spizocorys obbiensis – desert of coastal Somalia
- Sclater's lark, Spizocorys sclateri – desert of southern Namibia and Cape Province
Former species
[edit]Formerly, some authorities classified the following species as belonging to the genus:
- Raso lark (as Spizocorys razae)[5]
- Blanford's lark (eremica) (as Spizocorys eremica)[6]
- Athi short-toed lark (as Spizocorys athensis)[7]
References
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Spizocorys.
- ^ Sundevall, Carl Jakob (1872). Methodi naturalis avium disponendarum tentamen. Försök till fogelklassens naturenliga uppställnung (in Latin, Swedish, and French). Stockholm: Samson & Wallin. p. 54.
- ^ Dickinson, E.C.; Christidis, L., eds. (2014). The Howard & Moore Complete Checklist of the Birds of the World (PDF). Vol. 2: Passerines (4th ed.). Eastbourne, UK: Aves Press. p. 444. ISBN 978-0-9568611-2-2.
- ^ Jobling, James A. "Spizocorys". The Key to Scientific Names. Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Retrieved 15 April 2026.
- ^ AviList Core Team (2025). "AviList: The Global Avian Checklist, v2025". doi:10.2173/avilist.v2025. Retrieved 15 April 2026.
- ^ "Alauda razae - Avibase". avibase.bsc-eoc.org. Retrieved 2016-12-05.
- ^ "Calandrella blanfordi eremica - Avibase". avibase.bsc-eoc.org. Retrieved 2016-12-18.
- ^ "Alaudala athensis - Avibase". avibase.bsc-eoc.org. Retrieved 2016-12-19.
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