NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Karoo Lark
Calendulauda albescens (Lafresnaye, 1839)
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.
Karoo lark, 50 km south-east of Springbok, Northern Cape, South Africa
Alan Manson · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Image sourceProvider-generated thumbnail requested at 320 pixels; no local editing Local WebP display rendition; resized without cropping.
Open encyclopedia reference
The Karoo lark (Calendulauda albescens) or red-backed lark is a species of lark in the family Alaudidae. It is endemic to South Africa where its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry shrubland.
Wikipedia contributors, Karoo lark; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T02:00:31.077493+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Calendulauda albescens (Lafresnaye, 1839)
- Name authority
- (Lafresnaye, 1839)
- Common name
- Karoo Lark
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Alaudidae
- Genus
- Calendulauda
- 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
- genusCalendulauda Blyth, 1855
- speciesCalendulauda albescens (Lafresnaye, 1839)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Calendulauda. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Fawn-colored LarkCalendulauda africanoides (A. Smith, 1836) | AlaudidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Red LarkCalendulauda burra (Bangs, 1930) | AlaudidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Pink-breasted LarkCalendulauda poecilosterna (Reichenow, 1879) | 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 |
|---|---|
| Alauda albescens Lafresnaye, 1839 Lafresnaye, 1839 | synonym |
| Certhilauda albescens (Lafresnaye, 1839) (Lafresnaye, 1839) | 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.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=916551 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:PJFC. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.