NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Tibetan Lark
Melanocorypha maxima Blyth, 1867
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.
Open encyclopedia reference
The Tibetan lark (Melanocorypha maxima) is a species of lark in the family Alaudidae found on the Tibetan Plateau from north-western India to central China. Alternate names for this species include the Asiatic lark, long-billed calandra lark and long-billed lark.
Wikipedia contributors, Tibetan lark; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T02:55:34.383357+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Melanocorypha maxima Blyth, 1867
- Name authority
- Blyth, 1867
- Common name
- Tibetan Lark
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Alaudidae
- Genus
- Melanocorypha
- 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
- genusMelanocorypha F. Boie, 1828
- speciesMelanocorypha maxima Blyth, 1867
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Melanocorypha. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Bimaculated LarkMelanocorypha bimaculata (Ménétriés, 1832) | AlaudidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Mongolian LarkMelanocorypha mongolica (Pallas, 1776) | AlaudidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Calandra LarkMelanocorypha calandra (Linnaeus, 1766) | AlaudidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Black LarkMelanocorypha yeltoniensis (J. R. Forster, 1768) | 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 |
|---|---|
| Melanocorypha maxima holdereri Reichenow, 1911 Reichenow, 1911 | synonym |
| Melanocorypha maxima maxima Blyth, 1867 Blyth, 1867 | synonym |
| Melanocorypha maxima subgrisea Stegmann, 1937 Stegmann, 1937 | synonym |
| Melanocorypha holdereri Reichenow, 1911 Reichenow, 1911 | synonym |
| Melanocorypha maxima flavescens Stegmann, 1937 Stegmann, 1937 | 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.
- Blyth, & Edward. (1867). The Ornithology of India.-A Commentary on Dr. Jerdon’s ‘Birds of India.’. The Ibis, Vol. 3, No. 1. 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. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
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:3Z8CY. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.