Rufous-naped Lark (Mirafra africana)

Taxonomy: Mirafra africana A. Smith,1836. Algoa Bay, Eastern Cape, South Africa.
May form a superspecies with M. hypermetra, possibly also including M. somalica. Sometimes considered conspecific with former, but the two are morphologically and vocally distinct, with no intermediate forms where their ranges meet in Kenya and N Tanzania. Geographical variation extreme, and future studies likely to reveal that several races, especially among isolated populations in W, C & NE Africa, should be treated as separate species; likely candidates for future splits include malbranti, which has a quite distinct aerial display and may be more closely related to M. angolensis, and sharpii, which has distinctive plumage; conversely, differences among many contiguous races are broadly clinal, and further study may reveal that several taxa are untenable; full review required. Other described races, all considered insufficiently distinct, include anchietae (Huíla, in SW Angola), irwini (Cuando Cubango, in SE Angola), zuluensis (Maputa, in NE KwaZulu-Natal) and rostrata (coastal SE South Africa). Twenty-three subspecies tentatively recognized.