Rufous-naped Lark

SCI Name:  Mirafra africana
Protonym:  Mirafra africana Rep.Exped.Centr.Afr. p.47
Taxonomy:  Passeriformes / Alaudidae / Mirafra
Taxonomy Code:  runlar1
Type Locality:  eastern Cape Province and the country as far as Latakoo.
Author:  Smith, A
Publish Year:  1836
IUCN Status:  

DEFINITIONS

MIRAFRA
(Alaudidae; Ϯ Horsfield's Bush Lark M. javanica) Horsfield made great use of Javanese names, but this does not appear to be one of them (cf. Malay name Merfa for a babbler (see Malacopteron)). According to Agassiz 1842-1846, mirafra is from a native tongue. Gotch 1981, writes that the name is from L. mirus wonderful, and Afra African; the first part of this etymology may be correct, but although most forms occur in the Afrotropics Horsfield’s Bush Lark does not; "MIRAFRA ... The characters in which this genus differs from Alauda are a more robust, conical and arched bill, round nares nearly naked, and a proportionally short claw to the posterior toe. The sides of the beak, between the back (culmen) and cutting edges (tomia) are somewhat convex. In this character it has greater affinity to Fringilla than to Alauda, the bill of which is often subulate (as in Sylvia), while the nares are covered.  Mirafra, although it greatly resembles Calandra, differs from it in possessing the spurious remex, and in having the four instead of the three first remiges elongated  ...  Mirafra Javanica ...  Branjangan Javanis." (Horsfield 1821); "Mirafra Horsfield, 1821, Trans. Linn. Soc. London, 13, pt. 1, p. 159. Type, by monotypy, Mirafra javanica Horsfield." (Peters 1960, IX, 3).    
Var. Miraffra, Mirafa, Myrafra.   
Synon. Africorys, Amirafra, Anacorys, Brachonyx, Corypha, Croteoptera, Etoimus, Geocoraphus, Megalophonus, Neomirafra, Plocealauda, Spilocorydon.

mirafra
Genus Mirafra Horsfield, 1821, bush lark (syn. Mirafra javanica).

africana
L. Africanus  African  < Africa   Africa (in antiquity a name originally restricted to the territory of Carthage, later extended to include most of North Africa, then, in modern times, to the whole of that vast continent).
● Egypt; ex “Sarcelle d’Égypte” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 1000, and “African Teal” of Latham 1785 (syn. Aythya nyroca).
● Cape of Good Hope; ex “Cape Curlew” of Latham 1785 (syn. Calidris ferruginea).
● Cape of Good Hope; ex “Choucou” of Levaillant 1799, pl. 38 < French chouette  owl; coucou  cuckoo (unident.;?syn. Ciccaba woodfordii).
● Cape of Good Hope; ex “Becassine du Cap de Bonne Espérance” of d’Aubenton 1765-1781, pl. 270 (syn. Rostratula benghalensis).
● Cape of Good Hope; ex “African Tern” of Latham 1785 (syn. Thalasseus sandvicensis).
● Malimbe and Cape of Good Hope; ex “Huppe d’Afrique” of Audebert & Vieillot 1800 (subsp. Upupa epops).
● Cape of Good Hope; ex “Curruca naevia capitis bonae spei” of Brisson 1760, “Fauvette tachetée du cap de Bonne Espérance” of de Buffon 1770-1783, and “African Warbler” of Latham 1783 (unident.).

SUBSPECIES

Rufous-naped Lark (Somali)
SCI Name: Mirafra africana sharpii
sharpii
Dr Richard Bowdler Sharpe (1847-1909) British ornithologist at BMNH 1872-1909, founder member of BOC 1892 (syn. Accipiter fasciatus polycryptus, subsp. Antigone antigone, Apalis, syn. Apus horus, subsp. Argya rubiginosa, syn. Bradornis boehmi, Bycanistes, subsp. Corvus corone, subsp. Crithagra sulphurata, subsp. Dendropicos fuscescens, subsp. Lonchura castaneothorax, syn. Megaceryle maxima gigantea, syn. Melaenornis pallidus bowdleri, Mirafra, syn. Nesocharis capistrata, syn. Pelecanus onocrotalus, Pholia, subsp. Ploceus baglafecht, syn. Pternistis clappertoni, syn. Streptopelia turtur rufescens, syn. Urocissa flavirostris cucullata) (see sharpei).

Rufous-naped Lark (Sudan)
SCI Name: Mirafra africana kurrae
kurrae
Kurra, Jebel Marra, Darfur, Sudan.

Rufous-naped Lark (Bamenda)
SCI Name: Mirafra africana stresemanni/bamendae
MIRAFRA
(Alaudidae; Ϯ Horsfield's Bush Lark M. javanica) Horsfield made great use of Javanese names, but this does not appear to be one of them (cf. Malay name Merfa for a babbler (see Malacopteron)). According to Agassiz 1842-1846, mirafra is from a native tongue. Gotch 1981, writes that the name is from L. mirus wonderful, and Afra African; the first part of this etymology may be correct, but although most forms occur in the Afrotropics Horsfield’s Bush Lark does not; "MIRAFRA ... The characters in which this genus differs from Alauda are a more robust, conical and arched bill, round nares nearly naked, and a proportionally short claw to the posterior toe. The sides of the beak, between the back (culmen) and cutting edges (tomia) are somewhat convex. In this character it has greater affinity to Fringilla than to Alauda, the bill of which is often subulate (as in Sylvia), while the nares are covered.  Mirafra, although it greatly resembles Calandra, differs from it in possessing the spurious remex, and in having the four instead of the three first remiges elongated  ...  Mirafra Javanica ...  Branjangan Javanis." (Horsfield 1821); "Mirafra Horsfield, 1821, Trans. Linn. Soc. London, 13, pt. 1, p. 159. Type, by monotypy, Mirafra javanica Horsfield." (Peters 1960, IX, 3).    
Var. Miraffra, Mirafa, Myrafra.   
Synon. Africorys, Amirafra, Anacorys, Brachonyx, Corypha, Croteoptera, Etoimus, Geocoraphus, Megalophonus, Neomirafra, Plocealauda, Spilocorydon.

Rufous-naped Lark (Rufous-naped)
SCI Name: Mirafra africana [africana Group]
MIRAFRA
(Alaudidae; Ϯ Horsfield's Bush Lark M. javanica) Horsfield made great use of Javanese names, but this does not appear to be one of them (cf. Malay name Merfa for a babbler (see Malacopteron)). According to Agassiz 1842-1846, mirafra is from a native tongue. Gotch 1981, writes that the name is from L. mirus wonderful, and Afra African; the first part of this etymology may be correct, but although most forms occur in the Afrotropics Horsfield’s Bush Lark does not; "MIRAFRA ... The characters in which this genus differs from Alauda are a more robust, conical and arched bill, round nares nearly naked, and a proportionally short claw to the posterior toe. The sides of the beak, between the back (culmen) and cutting edges (tomia) are somewhat convex. In this character it has greater affinity to Fringilla than to Alauda, the bill of which is often subulate (as in Sylvia), while the nares are covered.  Mirafra, although it greatly resembles Calandra, differs from it in possessing the spurious remex, and in having the four instead of the three first remiges elongated  ...  Mirafra Javanica ...  Branjangan Javanis." (Horsfield 1821); "Mirafra Horsfield, 1821, Trans. Linn. Soc. London, 13, pt. 1, p. 159. Type, by monotypy, Mirafra javanica Horsfield." (Peters 1960, IX, 3).    
Var. Miraffra, Mirafa, Myrafra.   
Synon. Africorys, Amirafra, Anacorys, Brachonyx, Corypha, Croteoptera, Etoimus, Geocoraphus, Megalophonus, Neomirafra, Plocealauda, Spilocorydon.

Rufous-naped Lark (Serengeti)
SCI Name: Mirafra africana tropicalis
tropicalis
Mod. L. tropicalis  tropical  < Late L. tropicus  tropical  < L. tropicus  of turning  < Gr. τροπικος tropikos  of the solstice  < τροπη tropē  turning  < τρεπω trepō  to change.

Rufous-naped Lark (Blackish)
SCI Name: Mirafra africana nigrescens/nyikae
MIRAFRA
(Alaudidae; Ϯ Horsfield's Bush Lark M. javanica) Horsfield made great use of Javanese names, but this does not appear to be one of them (cf. Malay name Merfa for a babbler (see Malacopteron)). According to Agassiz 1842-1846, mirafra is from a native tongue. Gotch 1981, writes that the name is from L. mirus wonderful, and Afra African; the first part of this etymology may be correct, but although most forms occur in the Afrotropics Horsfield’s Bush Lark does not; "MIRAFRA ... The characters in which this genus differs from Alauda are a more robust, conical and arched bill, round nares nearly naked, and a proportionally short claw to the posterior toe. The sides of the beak, between the back (culmen) and cutting edges (tomia) are somewhat convex. In this character it has greater affinity to Fringilla than to Alauda, the bill of which is often subulate (as in Sylvia), while the nares are covered.  Mirafra, although it greatly resembles Calandra, differs from it in possessing the spurious remex, and in having the four instead of the three first remiges elongated  ...  Mirafra Javanica ...  Branjangan Javanis." (Horsfield 1821); "Mirafra Horsfield, 1821, Trans. Linn. Soc. London, 13, pt. 1, p. 159. Type, by monotypy, Mirafra javanica Horsfield." (Peters 1960, IX, 3).    
Var. Miraffra, Mirafa, Myrafra.   
Synon. Africorys, Amirafra, Anacorys, Brachonyx, Corypha, Croteoptera, Etoimus, Geocoraphus, Megalophonus, Neomirafra, Plocealauda, Spilocorydon.

Rufous-naped Lark (Malbrant's)
SCI Name: Mirafra africana malbranti
malbranti
Dr René Malbrant (1903-1961) French government veterinarian in French Equatorial Africa 1945-1958 (syn. Caprimulgus inornatus, subsp. Mirafra africana).