Dupont’s Lark

Dupont's lark (Chersophilus duponti) is a species of lark in the family Alaudidae of the monotypic genus Chersophilus. It is found in northern Africa and Spain. == Taxonomy and systematics == Dupont's lark was originally described by Louis Pierre Vieillot in 1820 and placed in the genus Alauda. It was named for the French naturalist Léonard Puech Dupont, who had collected the species and showed it to Vieillot. === Subspecies === Two subspecies are recognized: North-western Dupont's lark (C. d. duponti) - (Vieillot, 1824): Found in southern Spain, northern Morocco, northern Algeria and northern Tunisia South-eastern Dupont's lark (C. d. margaritae) - (Koenig, AF, 1888): Originally described as a separate species in the genus Alaemon. Found from central Algeria to western Egypt == Description == Like most other larks, Dupont's lark is an undistinguished looking species on the ground. It is 17–18 cm long, slim, with a long neck, long legs and a fine slightly curved bill. It has a thin pale crown stripe and a dark-streaked breast. The north-western Dupont's lark of Europe and north-west Africa is mainly brown-grey above and pale below. The south-eastern Dupont's lark, which occupies most of the rest of the African range, has rufous…