HORNED LARK complex now becomes six species

New science/studies have resulted in the highly expected splitting of Horned Lark Eremophila alpestris into no fewer than six species by Drovetski et al. (2014). 

Of relevance in a Western Palearctic context are:

ELWES'S SHORE LARK: E. elwesi of Tibet etc. (to be renamed if the uninvestigated ssp longirostris proves to belong to this clade).

CENTRAL ASIATIC SHORE LARK E. penicillata including ‘birds inhabiting alpine zone of Palearctic mountains from southeastern Europe to Tian Shan’ (ssp albigula is found in Xinjiang, China).

SHORE LARK E. flava ‘breeding in the tundra from Scandinavia to Amguema River in Chukotka’ (and occurring S in winter at least to Beijing).

MONGOLIAN SHORE LARK E. brandti  ‘breeding in aridlands from the northwestern border of Kazakhstan to northeastern Inner Mongolia in China’ (and occurring S in winter at least to Beijing).

In addition are ATLAS SHORE LARK E. atlas ‘inhabiting Atlas mountains of Morocco’ and NORTH AMERICAN HORNED LARK E. alpestris of the New World. 

The paper’s title is ‘Limited Phylogeographic Signal in Sex-Linked and Autosomnal Loci Despite Geographically, Ecologically, and Phenotypically Concordant Structure of mtDNA Variation in the Holarctic Avian Genus Eremophila’  PloS ONE 9(1).

Of relevance to the UK400 Club, this authority recognises the following British and Irish record -:

North American Horned Lark, St Agnes & Tresco, Scilly, 2nd-31st October 2001 (Birding World 15: 111-120)

Yet again one has to look no further than http://www.netfugl.dk/ to find the right images, in this case representatives of all six Horned Lark spp:

  

ELWES’S HORNED LARK E. elwesi of Tibet etc.

 http://www.netfugl.dk/pictures.php?id=showpicture&picture_id=16681

CENTRAL ASIATIC HORNED LARK E. penicillata including ‘birds inhabiting alpine zone of Palearctic mountains from southeastern Europe to Tian Shan’ (ssp albigula is found in Xinjiang, China).

http://www.netfugl.dk/pictures.php?id=showpicture&picture_id=49484 

SHORE LARK E. flava ‘breeding in the tundra from Scandinavia to Amguema River in Chukotka’ (and occuring S in winter at least to Beijing).

 http://www.netfugl.dk/pictures.php?id=showpicture&picture_id=47144

MONGOLIAN SHORE LARK E. brandti  ‘breeding in aridlands from the northwestern border of Kazakhstan to northeastern Inner Mongolia in China’ (and occuring S in winter at least to Beijing).

 http://www.netfugl.dk/pictures.php?id=showpicture&picture_id=56713

ATLAS HORNED LARK E. atlas ‘inhabiting Atlas mountains of Morocco’  &

http://www.netfugl.dk/pictures.php?id=showpicture&picture_id=51473

NORTH AMERICAN HORNED LARK E. alpestris of the New World.

http://www.netfugl.dk/pictures.php?id=showpicture&picture_id=51553