Spike-heeled Lark (Chersomanes albofasciata) - HBW 9, p. 564

Taxonomy: Certhilauda albofasciata Lafresnaye, 1836, Deelfontein, Northern Cape, South Africa.
Forms a superspecies with C. beesleyi; usually considered conspecific, but genetically distinct, widely separated geographically, and lacks sexual plumage dimorphism. Genetic data indicate that N populations are basal, and that, within South Africa, W (coastal) and E (grassland) populations are more closely related to each other than to Karoo populations. Geographical variation mostly in plumage coloration, with fine-scale differences linked to changes in soil colour, resulting in numerous races having been described; differences among many contiguous forms broadly clinal, and further study may demonstrate that several of listed races are unsustainable. Other named races include longispina from Angola (W Huíla), synonymized with obscurata; bathoeni from SE Botswana, merged with kalahariae; bradfieldi from Great Namaqualand (Langklip), merged with arenaria; from W to E in South Africa, bushmanensis and meinertzhageni are considered synonymous with garrula, baddeleyi with nominate, robertsi and subpallida with alticola, and latimerae with macdonaldi. Isolated population in SE DRCongo not yet ascribed to any named race. Ten subspecies recognized.