Thekla's Lark (Galerida) [XC796626]
by Fernand DEROUSSEN from Campo de Belchite (near Vinaceite), Teruel, Arag\u00f3n, Spain (call)
Thekla's Lark (Galerida) [XC423826]
by Garry Bakker from Tudela (near Ablitas), Navarra, Navarra, Spain (flight call, imitation, song, imitations)
Subspecies
Sometimes treated as forming a superspecies with Malabar Lark (Galerida malabarica), and has often been treated as conspecific, but proof of close relationship lacking. Marked geographical variation in colour, rather slight in size. Variation strongly clinal in west of range, from grey-brown in northern (Spain) to sandy-coloured in southern (Sahara). Described subspecies aguirrei (eastern Morocco) synonymized with ruficolor. Birds named as subspecies deichleri (Sahara of north-eastern Algeria and south-central Tunisia) considered to involve bleached individuals of carolinae. Genus name of original description based on unjustified (and indeed invalid) emendation of Galerida.
The following 12 subspecies are recognised:
theklae (Brehm, 1858) - Eastern and southern Portugal, Spain (including Balearic Is) and extreme southern France (Roussillon).
erlangeri Hartert, 1904 - Northern Morocco (east to Algerian border, south to Middle Atlas).
ruficolor Whitaker, 1898 - North-eastern and central Morocco, coastal Algeria and northern Tunisia.
theresae Meinertzhagen, R, 1939 - South-western Morocco (southern from Anti-Atlas Mts) and western Sahara.
superflua Hartert, 1897 - Hauts Plateaux in north-eastern Morocco (east of R Moulouya) and northern Algeria (south to Atlas Saharien) east to Tunisia.
carolinae Erlanger, 1897 - Northern Sahara from extreme eastern Morocco (Figuig) east to north-eastern Libya, probably also extreme north-western Egypt (Salum).
praetermissa (Blanford, 1869) - Highlands from southern Eritrea south to central Ethiopia.
BirdLife International Species Factsheet