Jerdon's bush lark
| Jerdon's bush lark | |
|---|---|
 | |
| A Jerdon's bush lark near Bangalore, India. (July, 2006) | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Alaudidae |
| Genus: | Mirafra |
| Species: | M. affinis |
| Binomial name | |
| Mirafra affinis Blyth, 1845 | |
 | |
Jerdon's bush lark (Mirafra affinis) is a lark of the open countryside found in southern India and Sri Lanka. This species was earlier considered a subspecies of the Bengal bush lark (M. assamica). However recent studies of differences in call and distribution have led to it being treated as a full species.[2]
The common name commemorates the surgeon-naturalist Thomas C. Jerdon.[3]
Description
M. affinis has arrowhead like spots pointing upwards on the breast. It is very similar to the Indian bush lark (M. erythroptera) but has buffy lores, less white behind ear coverts, darker centre to wing coverts and central tail feathers. Dark centres of primary coverts are prominent, and wing panels are duller and rufous. In the southern Western Ghats, the race ceylonensis is darker and more rufous on the underside and has a longer bill.[4]
Range
M. affinis has a large range in south-east India and Sri Lanka, with an estimated global extent of occurrence of 100,000-1,000,000 square kilometres.[5]
Habitat
It has proven adaptable to a variety of open habitats up to a maximum elevation of 1500 m. Some of these are forest perimeters, rocky scrubland, scrubby hill meadows and clearings in open-type forests, shrub-edged unused croplands, and thickets of bamboo.[5]
Habits
Its song-flight is indistinguishable from that of Indian bush lark, However, unlike the aforementioned species, Jerdon's bush lark often perches on trees and wires.[4]
References
- ↑ BirdLife International (2012). "Mirafra affinis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.2. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 26 November 2013.
- ↑ Alström, Per (1998). "Taxonomy of the Mirafra assamica complex" (PDF). Forktail 13: 97–107 . Retrieved May 1, 2009.
- ↑ Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael (2003). Whose Bird? Men and Women Commemorated in the Common Names of Birds. London: Christopher Helm. pp. 180–181.
- 1 2 P.C. Rasmussen and J.C. Anderton (2005). Birds of South Asia. The Ripley Guide. Lynx Edicions.
- 1 2 Compiler: Helen Temple (2008). "Jerdon's Bushlark - BirdLife Species Factsheet". Evaluators: Jeremy Bird, Stuart Butchart, Helen Temple. BirdLife International . Retrieved May 9, 2009.