Voice
A series of 5 - 8 'tip-ip-ip-ip' lead-in notes followed by a whistle and a long, uniform trill (similar to Dune Lark (Calendulauda erythrochlamys) but with a shorter trill).
Barlow's Lark (Calendulauda barlowi) [XC158041]
by id from Port Nolloth, Namakwa, Northern Cape, South Africa (song)
Barlow's Lark (Calendulauda barlowi) [XC599899]
by Gabriel A. Jamie from Richtersveld Local Municipality, Namakwa, Northern Cape, South Africa (song)
Subspecies
Certhilauda erythrochlamys (Sibley and Monroe 1990, 1993) has been split into Dune Lark (Calendulauda erythrochlamys) and Barlow's Lark (Certhilauda barlowi) following Ryan et al. (1998), whose treatment is under review by the BirdLife Taxonomic Working Group.
Forms a superspecies with Red Lark (Calendulauda burra), Karoo Lark (Calendulauda albescens) and Dune Lark (Calendulauda erythrochlamys) and sister-species to Dune Lark (Calendulauda erythrochlamys), with no known range overlap between the two. Recently split from Karoo Lark (Calendulauda albescens) on grounds of genetic, morphological and vocal evidence. Hybridizes with it in south of range (narrow zone between R Orange and Port Nolloth). Geographical variation linked to soil type (pale sands on coast, redder inland); differentiation marked in south-west of range, with coastal patae replaced by inland cavei over distance of just a few kilometres and intermediates scarce. Nominate intergrades with cavei.
The following 3 subspecies are recognised:
barlowi (Roberts, 1937) - South-western Namibia from south of R Koichab (inland of Lüderitz) east to Aus.
patae (Macdonald, 1953) - Coastal sands from south-western Namibia (Lüderitz) to extreme north-western South Africa (Port Nolloth).
cavei (Macdonald, 1953) - Inland part of coastal plain from extreme south-western Namibia (southern from Aus) to north-western South Africa (R Holgat).
BirdLife International Species Factsheet