Corypha is a genus of larks in the family Alaudidae. These species were formerly placed in the genus Mirafra. They are widely distributed in open savannah-type habitats across sub-Saharan Africa.
Taxonomy
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. For one of these clades they resurrected the genus Corypha that had originally been introduced in 1840 by the English zoologist George Gray with Alauda apiataVieillot, 1816, the Cape clapper lark, as the type species.[1][2][3] The name Corypha is from Ancient Greek κορυφος/koruphos, an unknown bird mentioned by the Greek author Hesychius of Alexandria that is usually assumed to be a lark.[4]
A comprehensive integrated study of the genus, published in 2024, combined analyses of the plumage, morphology, vocalization and phylogenetics.[5] This led to a substantial revision of the specific boundaries and an increase in the number of recognised species.[2]
The phylogeny shown below is based on the 2024 study by Per Alström and collaborators.[5]
