Alaudidae
百灵科
bǎi-líng kē

General

Information is based on dictionaries and other sources. Pinyin readings reflect standard Mandarin usage; for some dialect alternative names it may be of little practical use, especially for South China. Many Korean glosses are highly tentative. Comments and corrections welcome.

The larks in common standard usage are known as 百灵 bǎi-líng (sometimes 百灵鸟 bǎi-líng-niǎo), literally meaning 'hundred spirit' or 'hundred clever' and 云雀 yún-què (literally 'cloud sparrow'), which ornithologists use for larks in the genus Alauda.

Chinese has a multiplicity of traditional or dialect names for the skylark. These include:

Quite a number of these names (including 云雀 yún-què) refer to the skylark's habit of singing while rapidly flying straight up, which makes it look as if the bird is calling to the sky. Several names compare the lark to a kind of pipit. Several names also use the word 灵 or spirit, possibly due to the popular belief that a skylark is the soul of a person who has returned from the dead. This is found in the expression: 死了变成白灵鸟，飞来也要卯亲亲 sǐ le biàn-chéng bái-líng-niǎo, fēi-lái yě yào mǎo qīnqīn 'Becomes a skylark after death and flies back to visit its relatives'.

In some dialect names, found in areas such as Inner Mongolia, 百灵 bǎi líng 'hundred spirit' is transformed into 白灵 bái líng 'white spirit'. Possibly the 'hundred spirits' name came first, but folk etymology came into play to reinterpret the meaning. 百灵 bǎi líng 'hundred spirit' has also been written 百翎 (see above), treating líng as 'plume, feather'. This is a very literate folk etymology.

Species names

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SCIENTIFIC & ENGLISH		CHINESE			EAST		SOUTH	NORTH
Mirafra
Latin	English	Chinese	Chinese (Taiwan)	Other Ch	Japanese	Korean	Vietnamese	Mongolian
Mirafra javanica	Horsfield's bushlark Australasian lark Singing bush lark Eastern singing bush lark	歌百灵 (歌百靈) gē bǎi-líng 'song hundred-spirit' Taxonomy			ヤブヒバリ (薮雲雀) yabu-hibari 'thicket skylark'		Chim Sơn ca Java 'Javanese son ca bird' (ca = 'sing')
Melanocorypha
Latin	English	Chinese	Chinese (Taiwan)	Other Ch	Japanese	Korean	Vietnamese	Mongolian
Melanocorypha calandra	Calandra lark	草原百灵 (草原百靈) cǎo-yuán bǎi-líng 'grass plain hundred-spirit'			クロエリコウテンシ (黒襟告天子) kuro-eri kōtenshi 'black-collared tell-heaven'
Melanocorypha bimaculata	Bimaculated lark Eastern calandra lark	二斑百灵 (二斑百靈) èr-bān bǎi-líng 'two-stripe hundred-spirit'			クビワコウテンシ (首輪告天子) kubi-wa kōtenshi 'neck-ringed tell-heaven'	큰부리종다리 keun-buri-jongdari 'large-billed lark'
Melanocorypha mongolica	Mongolian lark Mongolian skylark	蒙古百灵 (蒙古百靈) měnggǔ bǎi-líng 'Mongolian hundred-spirit' or 百灵 (百靈) bǎi-líng 'hundred-spirit' (Alternative in 1, 3)			コウテンシ (告天子) kōtenshi 'tell-heaven'			Монгол болжмор moŋgol boljmor 'Mongolian lark'
Melanocorypha maxima	Tibetan lark Long-billed calandra lark	长嘴百灵 (長嘴百靈) cháng-zuǐ bǎi-líng 'long-billed hundred-spirit'			オオコウテンシ (大告天子) ō kōtenshi 'large tell-heaven'
Melanocorypha leucoptera	White-winged lark	白翅百灵 (白翅百靈) bái-chì bǎi-líng 'white-winged hundred-spirit'			ハジロコウテンシ (羽白告天子) ha-jiro kōtenshi 'white-winged tell-heaven'			Цагаалиг болжмор tsagaalig boljmor 'water-caltrop ? lark' (tsagaa more likely refers to 'white')
Latin	English	Chinese	Chinese (Taiwan)	Other Ch	Japanese	Korean	Vietnamese	Mongolian
Melanocorypha yeltoniensis	Black lark	黑百灵 (黑百靈) hēi bǎi-líng 'black hundred-spirit'			クロコウテンシ (黒告天子) kuro kōtenshi 'black tell-heaven'			Харалдай болжмор kharaldai boljmor 'kharaldai lark' (khar is probably 'black')
Calandrella
Latin	English	Chinese	Chinese (Taiwan)	Other Ch	Japanese	Korean	Vietnamese	Mongolian
Calandrella brachydactyla	Greater short-toed lark	大短趾百灵 (大短趾百靈) dà duǎn-zhǐ bǎi-líng 'large short-toed hundred-spirit' (2, 3, 4) or 短趾百灵 (短趾百靈) duǎn-zhǐ bǎi-líng 'short-toed hundred-spirit' (1, 5. Alternative in 3) Taxonomy	(大短趾百灵) 大短趾百靈 dà duǎn-zhǐ bǎi-líng 'large short-toed hundred-spirit'	短趾沙百灵 (短趾沙百靈) duǎn-zhǐ shā bǎi-líng 'short-toed sand hundred-spirit' (6, 7) 白眉 (白眉) bái-méi 'white eyebrow'	ヒメコウテンシ (姫告天子) hime kōtenshi 'princess tell-heaven'	쇠종다리 soe-jongdari 'small lark'		Талын жиргэмэл taliŋ jiregmel 'steppe lark' Former official: Бялзуумар byalzuumar 'byalzuumar' Taxonomy
Calandrella acutirostris	Hume's short-toed lark Hume's lark Karakoram Short-toed lark	细嘴短趾百灵 (細嘴短趾百靈) xì-zuǐ duǎn-zhǐ bǎi-líng 'fine-billed short-toed hundred-spirit'			ヒマラヤコヒバリ (ヒマラヤ小雲雀) himaraya ko-hibari 'Himalayan small lark' (hibari written 'cloud sparrow')
Calandrella cheleensis	Asian short-toed lark Mongolian short-toed lark Salt-marsh lark	短趾百灵 (短趾百靈) duǎn-zhǐ bǎi-líng 'short-toed hundred-spirit' (1, 2, 3, 4) or 亚洲短趾百灵 (亞洲短趾百靈) yàzhōu duǎn-zhǐ bǎi-líng 'Asian short-toed hundred-spirit' (5. Alternative in 1, 3)	(亚洲短趾百灵) 亞洲短趾百靈 yàzhōu duǎn-zhǐ bǎi-líng 'Asian short-toed hundred-spirit'		アジアコヒバリ (アジア小雲雀) ajia ko-hibari 'Asian small lark' (hibari written 'cloud sparrow')	북방쇠종다리 bukbang-soe-jongdari 'northern small lark'		Дэрсний жиргэмэл dersni jiregmel 'feather-grass lark' Former official: Дэрсний бялзуумар dersni byalzuumar 'feather-grass byalzuumar'
Galerida
Latin	English	Chinese	Chinese (Taiwan)	Other Ch	Japanese	Korean	Vietnamese	Mongolian
Galerida cristata	Crested lark	凤头百灵 (鳳頭百靈) fèng-tóu bǎi-líng 'phoenix-headed hundred-spirit'		阿兰 (阿蘭) ā-lán 'a-lan' 大阿勒 (大阿勒) dà ā-lè 'large a-le' 风头 (鳳頭) fèng-tóu 'phoenix-head'	カンムリヒバリ (冠雲雀) kanmuri hibari 'crested lark' (hibari written 'cloud sparrow')	뿔종다리 ppul-jongdari 'horned lark'		Согсоот божирго sogsoot bojireg 'horned bojirg' Former official: Согсоот болжмор sogsoot boljmor 'horned lark'
Alauda
Latin	English	Chinese	Chinese (Taiwan)	Other Ch	Japanese	Korean	Vietnamese	Mongolian
Alauda arvensis	Eurasian skylark Skylark Northern skylark	云雀 (雲雀) yún-què 'cloud sparrow'	(欧亚云雀) 歐亞雲雀 ōu-yà yún-què 'Eurasian cloud sparrow'	鱼鳞燕 (魚鱗燕) yú-lín yàn 'fish-scaled swallow'	ヒバリ (雲雀) hibari 'lark' written 'cloud sparrow' Taxonomy	종다리 jongdari 'lark'		Боролзой богширго borolzoi bogshireg 'borolzoi (flower) bogshirg' Former official: Боролзой болжмор borolzoi boljmor 'borolzoi (flower) lark' (probably related to Бор bor 'brown')
Alauda arvensis japonica Alauda japonica	Japanese skylark	日本云雀 (日本雲雀) rìběn yún-què 'Japanese cloud sparrow' (2, 3, 4) Taxonomy			ヒバリ (雲雀) hibari 'lark' written 'cloud sparrow' or ニホンヒバリ (日本雲雀) nihon hibari 'Japanese lark' (hibari written 'cloud sparrow') (Internet sources)	극동종다리 geuk-dong-jongdari 'far-eastern lark'
Alauda gulgula	Oriental skylark Lesser skylark Small skylark	小云雀 (小雲雀) xiǎo yún-què 'small cloud sparrow'	(小云雀) 小雲雀 xiǎo yún-què 'small cloud sparrow'	小阿勒 (小阿勒) xiǎo ā-lè 'small a-le'	タイワンヒバリ (台湾雲雀) taiwan hibari 'Taiwan lark' (hibari written 'cloud sparrow')		Chim Sơn ca 'son ca bird' (ca = 'sing')
Eremophila
Latin	English	Chinese	Chinese (Taiwan)	Other Ch	Japanese	Korean	Vietnamese	Mongolian
Eremophila alpestris	Horned lark or Shore lark	角百灵 (角百靈) jiǎo bǎi-líng 'horned hundred-spirit'		陆地百灵 (陸地百靈) lùdì bǎi-líng 'land hundred-spirit' 土画眉 (土畫眉) tǔ huà-méi 'earth/vulgar hwamei' (also Garrulax perspicillatus Masked Laughing-thrush)	ハマヒバリ (浜雲雀) hama hibari 'shore lark' (hibari written 'cloud sparrow')			Шоорон эвэртболжмор shooroŋ evert-boljmor 'pointed horned-lark' Former official: Шоорон алаг болжмор shooroŋ alag boljmor 'pointed motley lark'

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