Turkestan Short-toed Lark

The Turkestan short-toed lark (Alaudala heinei) is a species of lark in the family Alaudidae. It is found in Ukraine and central Turkey through parts of Central Asia and southern Siberia west to south-central Mongolia and south to southern Afghanistan. This species and the Mediterranean short-toed lark (A. rufescens) were formerly considered conspecific and called the lesser short-toed lark, but a 2020 study recovered them as distinct species. == Etymology == The genus name Alaudala is the diminutive of Alauda. The specific name heinei commemorates the German ornithologist Ferdinand Heine. == Subspecies == Four subspecies are recognized: Alaudala heinei pseudobaetica - (Stegmann, 1932): Found in eastern Turkey, Transcaucasia and northern Iran Alaudala heinei heinei - (Homeyer, 1873): Found from Ukraine to eastern Kazakhstan Alaudala heinei aharonii - (Hartert, 1910): Found in central Turkey Alaudala heinei persica - Sharpe, 1890: Found in eastern and southern Iraq to southern and south-western Afghanistan