NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Sun Lark
Galerida modesta Heuglin, 1864
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Ngaundere Ranch
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Open encyclopedia reference
The sun lark (Galerida modesta) or Nigerian sun lark, is a species of lark in the family Alaudidae. Its range extends mainly across the Sudan region (south of the Sahel), from Guinea to South Sudan. Its natural habitats are dry savannah and subtropical or tropical dry lowland grassland.
Wikipedia contributors, Sun lark; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T01:40:46.614021+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Galerida modesta Heuglin, 1864
- Name authority
- Heuglin, 1864
- Common name
- Sun Lark
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Alaudidae
- Genus
- Galerida
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderPasseriformes
- familyAlaudidae Vigors, 1825
- genusGalerida F. Boie, 1828
- speciesGalerida modesta Heuglin, 1864
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Galerida. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Sykes's LarkGalerida deva (Sykes, 1832) | AlaudidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Large-billed LarkGalerida magnirostris (Stephens, 1826) | AlaudidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Thekla LarkGalerida theklae A. E. Brehm, 1857 | AlaudidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Crested LarkGalerida cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) | AlaudidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Maghreb LarkGalerida macrorhyncha Tristram, 1859 | AlaudidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Malabar LarkGalerida malabarica (Scopoli, 1786) | AlaudidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Galerita modesta Heuglin, 1864 Heuglin, 1864 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- von Heuglin, & Martin Theodor. (1864). Ornithologische Miscellen aus Central-Africa. Journal Für Ornithologie, Vol. 12, No. 70. Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:3F4BM. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.