Subspecies artemisiana, hermonensis and woltersi all intergrade in southern Turkey. Birds from Ukraine are intermediate between nominate and longipennis, and those from Ural-Volga steppes, the Caucasus, eastern Iran and northern Afghanistan between longipennis and artemisiana. Populations from eastern Altai and southern Siberia have been separated as orientalis and those from north-western Manchuria as puii, but differences from typical longipennis seem to be minor. Validity of subspecies hungarica sometimes disputed, mainly on grounds that tiny population is apparently boosted by periodic influxes from elsewhere.
The following 9 subspecies are recognised:
brachydactyla (Leisler, 1814) - Breeds Europe from western, north-central and southern France and Iberia eastern (including many Mediterranean islands) to Italy, the Balkans and Romania (possibly to Ukraine and southern Russia), apparently also in some parts of Mediterranean coast of north-western Africa. Winters Africa.
hungarica Horváth, 1956 - Breeds Hungary and northern Serbia (Vojvodina), possibly also southern Slovakia.
rubiginosa Fromholz, 1913 - Breeds north-western Africa from Morocco and northern western Sahara east to north-western Libya (western Tripolitania). Also Malta.
hermonensis Tristram, 1865 - Southern Turkey and Syria south to north-eastern Egypt (Sinai Peninsula).
artemisiana Banjkovski, 1913 - Breeds Asia Minor, the Caucasus, Transcaucasia and Iran. Winters mainly south-western Asia.
longipennis (Eversmann, 1848) - Breeds Ukraine and southern Russia east to northern Mongolia and north-western Manchuria. Winters mainly southern Asia.
dukhunensis (Sykes, 1832) - Breeds Tibet and central China. Winters southern Asia. Considered by some authors to be a distinct species, Eastern Short-toed Lark (Calandrella dukhunensis).
orientalis Sushkin, 1925 - Central Siberia, northern Mongolia and northern China.
The Reader's Digest Book of British Birds 1980, 3rd Edition, Drive Publications Ltd ISBN 0 340 25308 8
Birds in Colour Campbell, B., 1960, Penguin Books Ltd
The Pocket Guide to Nest and Eggs Fitter, R.S.R., 1954, Collins
RSPB Handbook of British Birds Holden, P., Cleeves, T., 2002, A & C Black ISBN 0 7136 5713 8
Birds of Britain and Europe Sterry, P., et al., 2001, AA Publishing ISBN 0 7495 3068 5
The Popular Handbook of British Birds Hollom, P.A.D., 1973, H.F. & G. Witherby Ltd ISBN 0 85493 002 7
BirdLife International Species Factsheet