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.
Taxonomy and systematics
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.
Description
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]
^ abStervander, Martin; Alström, Per; Olsson, Urban; Ottosson, Ulf; Hansson, Bengt; Bensch, Staffan (September 2016). "Multiple instances of paraphyletic species and cryptic taxa revealed by mitochondrial and nuclear RAD data for Calandrella larks (Aves: Alaudidae)". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 102: 233–245. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2016.05.032. PMID27235550.
