Larks (Alaudidae)
Oriental Skylark (Alauda gulgula) - HBW 9, p. 599
French: Alouette gulgule
German: Orientfeldlerche
Spanish: Alondra Oriental
Other common names: Small/Lesser/Little Skylark, Eastern/Indian (Small) Skylark
Taxonomy: Alauda Gulgula Franklin, 1831, Ganges between Calcutta and Varanasi (Benares), east India.
May form a superspecies with A. arvensis, and has been considered conspecific. Race japonica of that species sometimes included within present species owing to similarities in plumage and structure. Geographical variation to some extent clinal, size decreasing from N to S. Other described races are punjaubi (from Pakistan and NW India) and transcaspia (Turkmenistan), merged with inconspicua; dharmakumarsinhjii (Gujarat, in WC India), australis (SW India) and herberti (C & SE Thailand E to S Vietnam), included in nominate; sala.. View all taxonomy...
Taxonomy: Alauda Gulgula Franklin, 1831, Ganges between Calcutta and Varanasi (Benares), east India.
May form a superspecies with A. arvensis, and has been considered conspecific. Race japonica of that species sometimes included within present species owing to similarities in plumage and structure. Geographical variation to some extent clinal, size decreasing from N to S. Other described races are punjaubi (from Pakistan and NW India) and transcaspia (Turkmenistan), merged with inconspicua; dharmakumarsinhjii (Gujarat, in WC India), australis (SW India) and herberti (C & SE Thailand E to S Vietnam), included in nominate; sala (Hainan), included in coelivox; and wolfei (Luzon, in Philippines), merged with wattersi. Eight subspecies recognized.
May form a superspecies with A. arvensis, and has been considered conspecific. Race japonica of that species sometimes included within present species owing to similarities in plumage and structure. Geographical variation to some extent clinal, size decreasing from N to S. Other described races are punjaubi (from Pakistan and NW India) and transcaspia (Turkmenistan), merged with inconspicua; dharmakumarsinhjii (Gujarat, in WC India), australis (SW India) and herberti (C & SE Thailand E to S Vietnam), included in nominate; sala (Hainan), included in coelivox; and wolfei (Luzon, in Philippines), merged with wattersi. Eight subspecies recognized.
Subspecies and Distribution:
- inconspicua Severtsov, 1873 - S Kazakhstan, S Uzbekistan, E Turkmenistan and E Iran E to W & SW Tadjikistan, Pakistan and NW India.
- lhamarum R. Meinertzhagen & A. Meinertzhagen, 1926 - SW Pamir, extreme NE Afghanistan and W Himalayas (NE Pakistan S to N Punjab, E to Nepal).
- gulgula Franklin, 1831 - NC & NE India S to Sri Lanka and E to Indochina.
- inconspicua Severtsov, 1873 - S Kazakhstan, S Uzbekistan, E Turkmenistan and E Iran E to W & SW Tadjikistan, Pakistan and NW India.
- lhamarum R. Meinertzhagen & A. Meinertzhagen, 1926 - SW Pamir, extreme NE Afghanistan and W Himalayas (NE Pakistan S to N Punjab, E to Nepal).
- gulgula Franklin, 1831 - NC & NE India S to Sri Lanka and E to Indochina.
- inopinata Bianchi, 1904 - much of Tibetan Plateau, E Qinghai, Gansu (except most NW) and extreme SW Inner Mongolia.
- vernayi Mayr, 1941 - E Himalayas and neighbouring parts of China (SE Xizang, W Yunnan).
- weigoldi Hartert, 1922 - C & E China (SE Gansu and S Shaanxi S to S & E Sichuan, and E along Yangtse Valley).
- coelivox Swinhoe, 1859 - SE & S China (including Hainan I) and N Vietnam.
- wattersi Swinhoe, 1871 - Taiwan and Philippines.
- Least Concern Enlarge map
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A bird on the ground, calling Locality Zoige (Ruoergai) County, Sichuan, China (Northern) (ssp inopinata)
Josep del Hoyo 17 May 2002 6 years ago 20 sec 4.2 -
one crouched in short vegetation, becomes alert and walks away Locality Ohkla Bird Sanctuary, Uttar Pradesh, India (ssp gulgula)
Martin Kennewell 5 December 2009 2 years ago 47 sec 4 -
A bird calling several times while perched on a fence Locality Koko Nor Lake, Qinghai, China (Northern) (ssp inopinata)
John Gregory 27 July 2002 4 years ago 27 sec 3.7 -
A bird near its nest, trying to attract attention Locality Zoige (Ruoergai) County, Sichuan, China (Northern) (ssp inopinata)
Josep del Hoyo 17 May 2002 6 years ago 10 sec 3.5 -
A bird walking and foraging on the ground Locality Heimahe, Qinghai, China (Northern) (ssp inopinata)
John Gregory 27 July 2002 4 years ago 19 sec 2.8 -
A bird feeding on the ground and singing Locality Zoige (Ruoergai) County, Sichuan, China (Northern) (ssp inopinata)
Josep del Hoyo 14 May 2002 8 years ago 25 sec 2.7
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Foraging on the ground.
Locality Bundala National Park, Southern Province, Sri Lanka (ssp gulgula)
Fran Trabalon 6 January 2012 16 weeks ago 4 -
Standing
Locality Bangalore Rural, Karnataka, India
Martin Hale 22 March 2011 17 weeks ago 4 -
Standing
Locality Bangalore Rural, Karnataka, India
Martin Hale 22 March 2011 17 weeks ago 3.8 -
In a field
Locality Yala (Ruhunu) National Park , Sri Lanka
John A Thompson 25 March 2012 5 weeks ago 3.5 -
Feeding
Locality Bangalore Rural, Karnataka, India
Martin Hale 22 March 2011 17 weeks ago 3.3 -
Taken at Fu-bau village, Changhwa County.
Locality Taiwan
alder 4 March 2009 3 years ago 0
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A male singing. Locality Prolay-Wat Prohoot grasslands, Siem Reap Province, Cambodia
(ssp gulgula)
Josep del Hoyo 11 March 2011 38 weeks ago 4 -
Calling on the wing Locality Rajasthan, India
(ssp gulgula)
RAM GOPAL SONI 1 May 1985 2 years ago 4
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