Eastern Long-billed Lark (Certhilauda semitorquata)

Population
Estimated population is unknown (2010).

Status LC
For more information see BirdLife International Species Factsheet.

Voice
A long, descending whistle 'seeeeooooo'.

Xeno-Canto Sound Files (more (24)...)

Eastern Long-billed Lark (Certhilauda semitorquata) [XC365843]
by Rapha\u00ebl Nussbaumer from Ncobo, South Africa (call)

Eastern Long-billed Lark (Certhilauda semitorquata) [XC517515]
by Frank Lambert from nr Daggakraal, Pixley Ka Seme Local Municipality, Eastvaal District Council, Mpumalanga, South Africa (song)

Subspecies
Certhilauda curvirostris (Sibley and Monroe 1990, 1993) has been split into Cape Long-billed Lark (Certhilauda curvirostris) (including brevirostris), Karoo Long-billed Lark (Certhilauda subcoronata) (including damarensis and benguelensis) and Eastern Long-billed Lark (Certhilauda semitorquata) by the BirdLife Taxonomic Working Group following review of museum material and the arguments presented in Ryan and Bloomer (1999). Ryan and Bloomer (1999), in addition to splitting curvirostris, subcoronata and semitorquata, propose elevating brevirostris and benguelensis to species level, but this treatment, based largely on genetic evidence, is not supported by morphological and vocal evidence from museum specimens and scientific and popular literature. There is evident ambiguity in the placement of subspecies and differences between them are slight.

All members of genus with exception of Short-clawed Lark (Certhilauda chuana) formerly treated as a single species, but recent research indicates that they are genetically, morphologically and vocally distinct. Despite plumage differences, present species most closely related to Cape Long-billed Lark (Certhilauda curvirostris) and Agulhas Long-billed Lark (Certhilauda brevirostris). Only distantly related to adjacent Karoo Long-billed Lark (Certhilauda subcoronata), ranges abutting over broad distance at karoo-grassland interface (roughly along 24� east longitude). Geographical variation rather clinal.

The following 3 subspecies are recognised:

transvaalensis Roberts, 1936 - Eastern South Africa (northern Free State, Gauteng, Mpumulanga and northern KwaZulu-Natal).
semitorquata Smith, 1836 - Eastern Karoo grasslands of South Africa (Northern Cape, eastern Cape, Free State, KwaZulu-Natal) and Lesotho.
algida Quickelberge, 1967 - Southern part of eastern Cape.

References
See References.

Files:

JPG files for Eastern Long-billed Lark (Certhilauda semitorquata) - 10 files

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BirdLife International

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BirdLife International Species Factsheet.

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