Eastern Clapper Lark (Mirafra fasciolata) [XC599069]
by Tony Archer from Emthanjeni Local Municipality, Bo-Karoo, Northern Cape, South Africa (call)
Eastern Clapper Lark (Mirafra fasciolata) [XC351690]
by Tim Cockcroft from Graaff-Reinet, Western District, Eastern Cape, South Africa (song)
Subspecies
Scientific name for species formerly given as rufipilea, but that name is apparently indeterminate. In the past, was usually treated as conspecific with Cape Clapper Lark (Mirafra apiata). The two were recently resplit on basis of plumage, morphology, display and genetic differences; boundary between the two species in Eastern Cape (South Africa) requires investigation. Geographical differences broadly clinal. Further study may lead to several subspecies being subsumed, especially in north of range (where only small series of specimens obtained); damarensis possibly an intergrade between deserti and reynoldsi. Name hewitti is a junior synonym of nominate. Birds from western Botswana (Ngamiland and Kalahari) described as subspecies kalaharica, but not consistently different from deserti.
The following 6 subspecies are recognised:
reynoldsi Benson & Irwin, 1965 - South-western Zambia, northern Namibia and northern Botswana; probably also south-eastern Angola.
jappi Traylor, 1962 - Western Zambia.
nata Smithers, 1955 - North-eastern Botswana.
deserti (Roberts, 1926) - East-central Namibia and west, eastern and southern Botswana.
fasciolata (Sundevall, 1850) - Central and eastern South Africa.
damarensis Sharpe, 1875 - Northern and central Namibia, western and central Botswana.
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