Larks (Alaudidae)

Temminck's Lark (Eremophila bilopha) - HBW 9, p. 590

French: Alouette bilophe German: Saharaohrenlerche Spanish: Alondra Sahariana
Other common names: Temminck’s Horned Lark

Taxonomy: Alauda bilopha Temminck, 1823, deserts of Aqaba, north-west Arabia.
Genus distinct in plumage and structure, particularly bill structure; probably closest, although still distantly related, to Alauda and Galerida. Forms a superspecies with E. alpestris, formerly considered conspecific. Smaller birds from S Western Sahara (Río de Oro) described as race elegans, but similarly small birds occur elsewhere in species’ range (e.g. Libya and W Egypt). Monotypic.

Distribution: Extreme NW Mauritania, Western Sahara and S & E Morocco E to NE Egypt (Sinai Peninsula) and Middle East (Syria, Jordan, S Israel, W Iraq, N Saudi Arabia, Kuwait).