Kordofan Lark Mirafra cordofanica Scientific name definitions

14 cm. Fairly small, compact lark  with distinctive golden-rufous upperparts only lightly streaked darker brown. Has buffish-white supercilium and face with only narrow dark eyestripe, giving pale-faced appearance (enhanced by whitish bill); in fresh plumage, some back feathers have narrow pale fringes and darker subterminal bars; tail blackish  , central feathers golden-rufous and outer tail white (distinctive in flight); underparts pale whitish-buff, breast washed darker and with a few diffuse darker streaks; eyes dark brown; bill pale whitish horn, slightly darker tip and dorsal side of upper mandible; legs flesh-pink. Distinguished from M. cantillans by brighter and more rufous appearance of upperparts, with less distinct streaking, and more striking tricoloured tail. Sexes alike. Juvenile has broader pale feather fringes on back and wing-coverts, heavier dark spotting on breast.

Mauritania and N Senegal E to Mali, N Burkina Faso and W Niger, also E Chad, S Sudan and N South Sudan.

Poorly known. Probably opportunistically nomadic, moving in response to local rain events, but at least some birds make more or less regular movements S into more mesic areas in winter months. Reports of vagrants in W Palearctic (continental Mauritania) regarded as unconfirmed (1 Crochet, P.-A. and Haas, M. (2013). Western Palearctic list updates: re-evaluation of five species from continental Mauritania. Dutch Birding. 35(1): 28–30. Close ).