| Dune lark | |
|---|---|
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| Near Walvis Bay | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Alaudidae |
| Genus: | Calendulauda |
| Species: | C. erythrochlamys
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| Binomial name | |
| Calendulauda erythrochlamys (Strickland, 1853)
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resident range
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| Synonyms | |
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The dune lark (Calendulauda erythrochlamys) is a species of lark in the family Alaudidae. It is endemic to Namibia where its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry lowland grassland.
The dune lark is the only avian creature that has evolved the ability to survive in the Namib Desert, which is one of the driest regions in the world.
Originally, the dune lark was classified as belonging to the genus Alauda, then later by Mirafra and Certhilauda, until moved to Calendulauda in 2009.[2] Formerly, some authorities considered the dune lark to be a subspecies of the Karoo lark (as Certhilauda albescens erythrochlamys) and Barlow's lark (as Certhilauda erythrochlamys barlowi) to be subspecies of the dune lark.[3][4] Not all authorities recognize each of these re-classifications.[3]
