Relationship with African congeners unknown. Formerly treated as a polytypic species, including Jerdon's Bushlark (Mirafra affinis), Indochinese Bushlark (Mirafra erythrocephala) and Burmese Bushlark (Mirafra microptera) as subspecies, but differs from all those in vocalizations, song flight, other aspects of behaviour and habitat choice. Mitochondrial DNA data suggest that the "Bengal Bushlark (Mirafra assamica) complex" is non-monophyletic, since Indian Bushlark (Mirafra erythroptera) is nested within this group, and also that the various taxa diverged a considerably longer time ago than is indicated by the rather small morphological differences (pairwise genetic divergences in the cytochrome b gene 11·7-15·1%). More distantly related to Horsfield's Bushlark (Mirafra javanica) and Singing Lark (Mirafra cantillans).
BirdLife International Species Factsheet