| Mongolian short-toed lark | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Alaudidae |
| Genus: | Calandrella |
| Species: | C. dukhunensis |
| Binomial name | |
| Calandrella dukhunensis (Sykes, 1832) | |
| Synonyms | |
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The Mongolian short-toed lark or Sykes's short-toed lark (Calandrella dukhunensis) is a species of lark in the family Alaudidae. It breeds in China and Mongolia and winters in southern Asia.
The Mongolian short-toed lark was originally placed in the genus Alauda . It was then considered as a subspecies of the morphologically similar greater short-toed lark, but recent analyses of both mitochondrial [2] [3] and nuclear DNA [3] showed that it was more closely related to Hume's short-toed lark. It was split in 2016 by the IOC, although not all other authorities have recognized this re-classification to date. [4] Additionally, some authorities considered the Mongolian short-toed lark to be a subspecies of the red-capped lark. [5] The name 'Mongolian short-toed lark' is also used as an alternate name for the Asian short-toed lark. The alternate name short-toed lark may also be used for three other species in the genus Calandrella.
The Mongolian short-toed lark is darker and has a shorter bill than the greater short-toed lark. [6] The Mongolian short-toed lark breeds on the Tibetan Plateau and winters mainly in peninsular India. [7]
