Genus of birds
Mirafra is a genus of lark in the family Alaudidae. Some "Mirafra" species are called "larks", while others are called "bush larks". They are all found in Africa except for the singing bush lark that is found through South Asia to Australia.
Taxonomy.
The genus "Mirafra" was introduced in 1821 by the American naturalist Thomas Horsfield to accommodate a single species, "Mirafra javanica" the singing bush lark, which is therefore considered as the type species. The derivation of the genus name is unknown.
A 2023 molecular phylogenetic study of the lark family Alaudidae by the Swedish ornithologist Per Alström and his collaborators found that the genus "Mirafra" contained deep internal genetic divergences. They therefore split "Mirafra" into four genera, each corresponding to a major clade. Species were moved to "Plocealauda", "Amirafra" and "Corypha" leaving only seven species remaining in "Mirafra".
Extant species.
The genus contains seven species:
Former species.
Some authorities, either presently or formerly, recognize several additional species as belonging to the genus "Mirafra", including:
References.
 ;templatestyles src="Reflist/styles.css" / ;