Plocealauda

{{Automatic taxobox

| image = Bengal Bushlark I IMG 4989.jpg

| image_caption = Bengal bush lark (Plocealauda assamica)

| taxon = Plocealauda

| authority = Alström, Mohammadi, Enbody, Irestedt, Engelbrecht, Crochet, Guillaumet, Rancilhac, Tieleman, Olsson, Donald & Stervander, 2023

| type_species = Miafra assamica
Bengal bush lark

| type_species_authority = Horsfield, 1840

| synonyms =

| range_map =

| range_map_caption =

}}

Plocealauda is a genus of larks in the family Alaudidae. Introduced in 2023, it contains five species that were formerly placed in the genus Mirafra. Their distributions range from the Indian subcontinent to Southeast Asia.

Taxonomy and systematics

A 2023 molecular phylogenetic study of the lark family Alaudidae by the Swedish ornithologist Per Alström and collaborators found that the genus Mirafra contained deep internal genetic divergences. They therefore proposed splitting Mirafra into four genera, each corresponding to a major clade. Names were available for three of the clades, but for the fourth clade, they introduced the new name Plocealauda and designated the type species as Miafra assamica Horsfield, 1840, the Bengal bush lark.{{Cite journal | last1=Alström | first1=P. | author1-link=Per Alström | last2=Mohammadi | first2=Z. | last3=Enbody | first3=E.D. | last4=Irestedt | first4=M. | last5=Engelbrecht | first5=D. | last6=Crochet | first6=P.-A. | last7=Guillaumet | first7=A. | last8=Rancilhac | first8=L. | last9=Tieleman | first9=B.I. | last10=Olsson | first10=U. | last11=Donald | first11=P.F. | last12=Stervander | first12=M. | date=2023 | title=Systematics of the avian family Alaudidae using multilocus and genomic data | journal=Avian Research | volume=14 | pages=100095 | doi=10.1016/j.avrs.2023.100095 | doi-access=free}} The name Plocealauda is a portmanteau of the genera Ploceus, introduced by Georges Cuvier for the weavers in 1816, and Alauda, introduced by Carl Linnaeus for the larks in 1785.{{ cite web | last=Jobling | first=James A. | title=Plocealauda | work=The Key to Scientific Names | url=https://birdsoftheworld.org/bow/key-to-scientific-names/search?q=Plocealauda | publisher=Cornell Lab of Ornithology | access-date=7 September 2024 }}

=Species=

The genus Plocealauda contains five species, all of which include "bush lark" in their English name.{{cite web| editor1-last=Gill | editor1-first=Frank | editor1-link=Frank Gill (ornithologist) | editor2-last=Donsker | editor2-first=David | editor3-last=Rasmussen | editor3-first=Pamela | editor3-link=Pamela C. Rasmussen | date=August 2024 | title=Nicators, Bearded Reedling, larks | work=IOC World Bird List Version 14.2 | url=https://www.worldbirdnames.org/bow/larks/ | publisher=International Ornithologists' Union | access-date=10 September 2024 }}

Burmese bush lark, Plocealauda microptera
Indochinese bush lark, Plocealauda erythrocephala
Jerdon's bush lark, Plocealauda affinis
Indian bush lark, Plocealauda erythroptera
Bengal bush lark, Plocealauda assamica

Two species in other genera also have "bush lark" in their English names: the singing bush lark (Mirafra javanica) and the rusty bush lark (Calendulauda rufa).

References

Category:Bird genera