Fawn-colored Lark (Calendulauda africanoides) [XC459139]
by Dawie de Swardt from Western side, Prynnsberg, Northern Cape, South Africa (song)
Fawn-colored Lark (Calendulauda africanoides) [XC348928]
by Kyle Finn from Tutume, Central District, Botswana (call)
Subspecies
Fawn-coloured Lark (Calendulauda africanoides) and Foxy Lark (Calendulauda alopex) (Sibley and Monroe 1990, 1993) are retained as separate species contra Dowsett and Forbes-Watson (1993) who include alopex as a subspecies of Fawn-coloured Lark (Calendulauda africanoides).
Often treated as conspecific with disjunct Foxy Lark (Calendulauda alopex), but differs genetically and in structure (shorter bill). Geographical variation largely clinal, plumage colour generally matching regional soil colour, and streaking reduced in more arid areas. Subspecies broadly intergrade, and further study may reveal that several of those currently accepted are unsustainable. Other named subspecies include omaruru, gobabisensis and rubidior (from various parts of north-western and north-central Namibia), all synonymized with harei, and austinrobertsi (from thornveld of Zimbabwe-Botswana-South Africa border region), synonymized with nominate.
The following 6 subspecies are recognised:
trapnelli (White, CMN, 1943) - South-eastern Angola and south-western Zambia.
makarikari (Roberts, 1932) - South-western Angola, northern Namibia and northern and central Botswana.
harei (Roberts, 1917) - North-western and central Namibia.
sarwensis (Roberts, 1932) - Western Botswana.
africanoides (Smith, 1836) - Southern Namibia, southern and eastern Botswana, western Zimbabwe and northern and north-eastern South Africa.
vincenti (Roberts, 1938) - Central Zimbabwe and southern Mozambique.
BirdLife International Species Factsheet