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
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
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
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
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.