Family Larks (Alaudidae)
Least Concern
Foxy Lark (Calendulauda alopex)
Taxonomy
French: Alouette abyssinienne German: Fuchslerche Spanish: Alondra vulpina
Other common names:
Abyssinian Lark
Taxonomy:
Mirafra alopex
Sharpe
, 1890,Somalia
.
Subspecies and Distribution
C. a. alopex
(Sharpe, 1890) – N Somalia and extreme E Ethiopia.
C. a. intercedens
(Reichenow, 1895) – C, E & SE Ethiopia, immediately adjacent NW & SW Somalia, E Uganda, Kenya and N Tanzania.
C. a. macdonaldi
(C. M. N. White, 1953) – S Ethiopia.
Descriptive notes
14–16 cm; c. 24 g. Medium-sized lark with broad, extensive pale supercilium that contrasts with darker ear-coverts and lores. Nominate race is distinctive, plain... read more
Voice
Song (race intercedens) a short, hurried, rather thin verse, similar to that of C.... read more
Habitat
Almost invariably found on sandy soils. Nominate race in open grassland with scattered shrubs and... read more
Food and feeding
Insects and seeds. Forages on ground.
Breeding
Breeds in Mar–Jun. Probably monogamous; occurs singly or in pairs throughout year. Male has short aerial display. Nest and eggs not... read more
Movements
Probably resident.
Status and conservation
Not globally threatened. Common to locally common in suitable habitat.
Formerly placed in Mirafra, but genetic evidence situates it in present genus. Often treated as conspecific with disjunct C. africanoides, and indeed plumage differences#R and genetic distance#R both relatively small; further study may well support lumping. Nominate race commonly described as “very distinctive” and perhaps a “different species” (e.g. HBW), but in reality race macdonaldi, treated as a synonym of intercedens in HBW, is intermediate in plumage and hard to tell from the type of alopex (in NHMUK). Proposed race longonotensis (E Uganda, W Kenya) included in intercedens. Three subspecies recognized.