Gillett's lark

Gillett's lark
Gillett's lark (top left), in an illustration by Henrik Grönvold
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1) [1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Alaudidae
Genus:	Calendulauda
Species:	C. gilletti
Binomial name
Calendulauda gilletti (Sharpe, 1895)
Subspecies
See text
resident range

Gillett's lark (Calendulauda gilletti) or Gillett's bushlark is a species of lark in the family Alaudidae found in eastern Africa.

Taxonomy

Gillett's lark was formerly placed in the genus Mirafra . It was moved to Calendulauda based on its vocalizations and plumage combined with the results of a large molecular genetic study of the Alaudidae by Per Alström and collaborators that was published in 2023. ^{[2] [3]}

Three subspecies are recognised: ^[2]

• C. g. gilletti (Sharpe, 1895) – east Ethiopia and northwest Somalia (Degodi lark)
• C. g. degodiensis (Érard, 1976) – southeast Ethiopia
• C. g. arorihensis (Érard, 1976) – central Somalia to northeast Kenya

Distribution and habitat

Gillett's lark has a somewhat wide range, with an estimated global extent of occurrence of 690,000 km² (266,410 sq mi) over Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia. ^[1]

Its natural habitats are dry savannah and subtropical or tropical dry shrubland.^{[ citation needed ]}

References

1. BirdLife International. (2024). "Calendulauda gilletti". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2024: e.T22735646A263814555. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2024-2.RLTS.T22735646A263814555.en . Retrieved 18 February 2025.
2. Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (August 2024). "Nicators, Bearded Reedling, larks". IOC World Bird List Version 14.2. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
3. Alström, P.; Mohammadi, Z.; Enbody, E.D.; Irestedt, M.; Engelbrecht, D.; Crochet, P.-A.; Guillaumet, A.; Rancilhac, L.; Tieleman, B.I.; Olsson, U.; Donald, P.F.; Stervander, M. (2023). "Systematics of the avian family Alaudidae using multilocus and genomic data". Avian Research. 14: 100095. doi: 10.1016/j.avrs.2023.100095 .

• Rutherford, C.A. (2024). "Gillett's Lark - BirdLife Species Factsheet". BirdLife International . Retrieved 18 February 2025.