Mirafra Cantillans Bird

English Name:  Singing Bushlark
Latin Name:  Mirafra cantillans
Protonym:  Mirafra cantillans J.Asiat.Soc.Bengal 13(1844) p.960
Taxonomy:  Passeriformes / Alaudidae / Mirafra
Taxonomy Code:  sinbus1
Type Locality:  India.
Author:  Blyth
Publish Year:  1845
IUCN Status:  

DEFINITIONS

MIRAFRA
(Alaudidae; Ϯ Horsfield's Bush Lark M. javanica) Horsfield made great use of Javanese names, but this does not appear to be one of them (cf. Malay name Merfa for a babbler (see Malacopteron)). According to Agassiz 1842-1846, mirafra is from a native tongue. Gotch 1981, writes that the name is from L. mirus wonderful, and Afra African; the first part of this etymology may be correct, but although most forms occur in the Afrotropics Horsfield’s Bush Lark does not; "MIRAFRA ... The characters in which this genus differs from Alauda are a more robust, conical and arched bill, round nares nearly naked, and a proportionally short claw to the posterior toe. The sides of the beak, between the back (culmen) and cutting edges (tomia) are somewhat convex. In this character it has greater affinity to Fringilla than to Alauda, the bill of which is often subulate (as in Sylvia), while the nares are covered.  Mirafra, although it greatly resembles Calandra, differs from it in possessing the spurious remex, and in having the four instead of the three first remiges elongated  ...  Mirafra Javanica ...  Branjangan Javanis." (Horsfield 1821); "Mirafra Horsfield, 1821, Trans. Linn. Soc. London, 13, pt. 1, p. 159. Type, by monotypy, Mirafra javanica Horsfield." (Peters 1960, IX, 3).    
Var. Miraffra, Mirafa, Myrafra.   
Synon. Africorys, Amirafra, Anacorys, Brachonyx, Corypha, Croteoptera, Etoimus, Geocoraphus, Megalophonus, Neomirafra, Plocealauda, Spilocorydon.

mirafra
Genus Mirafra Horsfield, 1821, bush lark (syn. Mirafra javanica).

cantillans
L. cantillans, cantillantis  warbling  < cantillare  to hum  < cantare  to sing  < canere  to sing.

SUBSPECIES

Singing Bushlark (marginata)
Latin Name: Mirafra cantillans marginata
marginata / marginatum / marginatus
L. marginatus  bordered, edged  < marginare  to emarginate  < margo, marginis  border, edge.
● “of the edge, in this case, the seashore” (Hockey et al. 2005) (Charadrius).
● ex “Perruche de l’isle de Luçon” of Sonnerat 1776, and “Varied-wing Parrot” of Latham 1781 (syn. Tanygnathus lucionensis).
● ex “Upupa marginata” of W. Peters MS (Upupa).
● ex “Columba macroura. Long-tail’d Dove” of Edwards 1751 (syn. Zenaida macroura).

Singing Bushlark (chadensis)
Latin Name: Mirafra cantillans chadensis
chadensis
Lake Chad, Nigeria/Tchad.

Singing Bushlark (simplex)
Latin Name: Mirafra cantillans simplex
simplex
L. simplex, simplicis  simple, plain.
● ex “Simple Tern” of Latham 1785 (Phaetusa ☼).

Singing Bushlark (cantillans)
Latin Name: Mirafra cantillans cantillans
cantillans
L. cantillans, cantillantis  warbling  < cantillare  to hum  < cantare  to sing  < canere  to sing.