Family Larks (Alaudidae)
Least Concern
Greater Hoopoe-lark (Alaemon alaudipes)
Taxonomy
French: Sirli du désert German: Wüstenläuferlerche Spanish: Alondra ibis
Taxonomy:
Upupa alaudipes
Desfontaines
, 1789,between Gafsa and Tozeur, Tunisia
.
Subspecies and Distribution
A. a. boavistae
E. J. O. Hartert, 1917 – Cape Verde Is (Boavista, Maio).
A. a. alaudipes
(Desfontaines, 1789) – Sahara Desert (from S Morocco S to Mauritania, N & C Mali, C Niger, C & E Chad and N Sudan) E to Syria, Jordan and N Arabia.
A. a. desertorum
(Stanley, 1814) – Red Sea coasts from E Sudan (Port Sudan) S to NW Somalia, and from C Saudi Arabia (Jeddah) S to S Yemen (Aden).
A. a. doriae
(Salvadori, 1868) – Iraq and E Arabia E to Pakistan and adjacent extreme NW India.
Descriptive notes
19–23 cm, including bill c. 3–3·5 cm; male 39–47 g (alaudipes), 47–51 g (doriae), female 30–39 g (alaudipes),... read more
Voice
Very characteristic song, given in acrobatic flight display, a series of uniform, melodious and... read more
Habitat
Desert or semi-desert, in open plains or rolling terrain, with sandy soils and sparse vegetation... read more
Food and feeding
Chiefly invertebrates, some small vertebrates; also some seeds and green material. Main invertebrate groups taken differ regionally,... read more
Breeding
Season geographically variable, related to rainfall patterns; Oct–Mar in Cape Verde Is; Feb–Jul, but also Oct (after... read more
Movements
Usually sedentary; territorial throughout year. Some individuals leave territories in dry years,... read more
Status and conservation
Not globally threatened. Common and widespread in most countries within its extensive range, as in Cape Verde Is, much of N Africa and Middle East, parts of Saudi Arabia,... read more
Differs from A. hamertoni in nest and display behaviour; relationship untested genetically#R. Geographical variation rather slight; size increase partially clinal from W to E. Nominate race and doriae intergrade in Middle East. Four subspecies recognized.