Alaudidae
Богширгынхон
bogshirgiŋkhoŋ

General names

This list should be regarded as being 'in beta'. Information is based on dictionaries and other sources. Many Kazakh, Turkish, and Korean glosses are highly tentative. Comments and corrections welcome.

Mongolian has a number of words for larks, and usage is unusually confused. The notes below are rather tentative in nature.

Болжмор boljmor is the most neutral and common term. In (Russian) Buryat this becomes Булжамуур buljamuur.

Another name for the larks is Жиргэмэл jiregmel (related to the verb жиргэх jirgekh 'to chirp, twitter, tweet'). In Russian Buryat this is spelt Жэргэмэл jeregmel.

Ordinary dictionaries give a number of other names for larks, but some of these also appear to be used for other types of bird, or for some reason have been assigned by ornithologists to other types of bird.

One of these is the name Божрого bojrog, which in some dictionaries is enigmatically given as a name for what appear to be buntings and 'larks with blue feathers'. This has the variants Божирго boj'rog, and Богширго bogshirog. However, the latter name appears to also be used for the sparrows.

The sand larks were originally called Бялзуумар byalzuumar in the scientific lists, a name reminiscent of both Болжмор boljmor and Бялзуухай byalzuukhai, a word used for small passerines in general.

There is also the name Хайргацай khairagtsai. One dictionary, at least, gives Хайргацай болжмор khairagtsai boljmor for the Crested Lark.

A name given by some dictionaries as an alternative for Богширго bogshirog is Хилжиргэнэ khiljirgen.

The term Ажиндар ajindar originally referred to a kind of lark but is now applied by ornithologists to the Marsh Warblers.

Regularised names:

The official names were originally based on just two names: Болжмор boljmor and Бялзуумар byalzuumar (sand larks, genus Calendrella). This changed in the 2007 official list, which, in an attempt to give each genus a separate name, pressed several alternatives into service. Жиргэмэл jiregmel replaced Бялзуумар byalzuumar as a name for the genus Calendrella, and Бялзуумар byalzuumar was then reassigned to the Treecreeper.

The species list below contains several problematic descriptors, including Цагаалиг tsagaalig, which is usually listed as meaning 'water caltrop' but is possibly associated with the colour white (цагаан tsagaaŋ), Харалдай kharaldai, which is related to the colour black (хар khar), and Боролзой borolzoi, which is usually given as the name of a flower but is probably from боролдой boroldoi meaning 'brown'.

Species names

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SCIENTIFIC & WESTERN		MONGOLIAN		EAST ASIAN			TURKIC
Melanocorypha
Latin	English/Russian	Mongolian	Former & Other M	Chinese (incl. Taiwan)	Japanese	Korean	Kazakh	Turkish
Melanocorypha mongolica	Mongolian lark Mongolian skylark Монгольский жаворонк	Монгол болжмор moŋgol boljmor 'Mongolian lark'	Монгол болжмор moŋgol boljmor 'Mongolian lark'	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'
Melanocorypha leucoptera	White-winged lark Белокрылый жаворонк	Цагаалиг болжмор tsagaalig boljmor 'water-caltrop ? lark' (tsagaa more likely refers to 'white')		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'		Аққанат бозторғай aq-qanat boz-torğay 'white-winged dun-sparrow'	Akkanatlı Toygar 'white-winged lark'
Melanocorypha yeltoniensis	Black lark Черный жаворонок	Харалдай болжмор kharaldai boljmor 'kharaldai lark' (khar is probably 'black')	Харалдай болжмор kharaldai boljmor 'kharaldai lark' (khar is probably 'black')	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'		Қара бозторғай qara boz-torğay 'black dun-sparrow'	Kara Toygar 'black lark'
Calandrella
Latin	English/Russian	Mongolian	Former & Other M	Chinese (incl. Taiwan)	Japanese	Korean	Kazakh	Turkish
Calandrella brachydactyla	Greater short-toed lark Малый жаворонок Taxonomy	Талын жиргэмэл taliŋ jiregmel 'steppe lark' Taxonomy	Бялзуумар byalzuumar 'byalzuumar'	大短趾百灵 (大短趾百靈) dà duǎn-zhǐ bǎi-líng 'large short-toed hundred-spirit' (2, 3, 4) 短趾百灵 (短趾百靈) duǎn-zhǐ bǎi-líng 'short-toed hundred-spirit' (1, 5. Alternative in 3) Taxonomy Taiwan: (大短趾百灵) 大短趾百靈 dà duǎn-zhǐ bǎi-líng 'large short-toed hundred-spirit'	ヒメコウテンシ (姫告天子) hime kōtenshi 'princess tell-heaven'	쇠종다리 soe-jongdari 'small lark'	Кіші бозторғай kişi boz-torğay 'small dun-sparrow' Taxonomy	Bozkır Toygarı 'steppe lark'
Calandrella rufescens	Lesser short-toed lark Серый жаворонок	Орог жиргэмэл orog jiregmel 'brown-grey lark'	Орог бор бялзуумар orog bor byalzuumar 'brown-grey dun byalzuumar'	小短趾百灵 (小短趾百靈) xiǎo duǎn-zhǐ bǎi-líng 'small short-toed hundred-spirit'	コヒバリ (小雲雀) ko-hibari 'small lark' (hibari written 'cloud sparrow')		Сұр бозторғай sur boz-torğay 'grey dun-sparrow'	Çorak Toygarı 'barren lark'
Calandrella cheleensis	Asian short-toed lark Mongolian short-toed lark Salt-marsh lark Солончаковый жаворонок	Дэрсний жиргэмэл dersni jiregmel 'feather-grass lark'	Дэрсний бялзуумар dersni byalzuumar 'feather-grass byalzuumar'	短趾百灵 (短趾百靈) duǎn-zhǐ bǎi-líng 'short-toed hundred-spirit' (1, 2, 3, 4) 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) Taiwan: (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'	Сор бозторғайы sor boz-torğayı saltmarsh dun-sparrow'	Asya Kısaparmaklı Toygarı 'Asian short-toed lark'
Galerida
Latin	English/Russian	Mongolian	Former & Other M	Chinese (incl. Taiwan)	Japanese	Korean	Kazakh	Turkish
Galerida cristata	Crested lark Хохлатый жаворонок	Согсоот божирго sogsoot bojireg 'horned bojirg'	Согсоот болжмор sogsoot boljmor 'horned lark'	凤头百灵 (鳳頭百靈) fèng-tóu bǎi-líng 'phoenix-headed hundred-spirit'	カンムリヒバリ (冠雲雀) kanmuri hibari 'crested lark' (hibari written 'cloud sparrow')	뿔종다리 ppul-jongdari 'horned lark'	Айдарлы бозторғай aydarlı boz-torğay 'crested dun-sparrow'	Tepeli Toygar 'crested lark'
Alauda
Latin	English/Russian	Mongolian	Former & Other M	Chinese (incl. Taiwan)	Japanese	Korean	Kazakh	Turkish
Alauda arvensis	Eurasian skylark Skylark Northern skylark Полевой жаворонок	Боролзой богширго borolzoi bogshireg 'borolzoi (flower) bogshirg'	Боролзой болжмор borolzoi boljmor 'borolzoi (flower) lark' (probably from name below) боролдой болжмор boroldoi boljmor 'brown lark'	云雀 (雲雀) yún-què 'cloud sparrow' Taiwan: (欧亚云雀) 歐亞雲雀 ōu-yà yún-què 'Eurasian cloud sparrow'	ヒバリ (雲雀) hibari 'lark' written 'cloud sparrow' Taxonomy	종다리 jongdari 'lark'	Шабындық бозторғайы şabındıq boz-torğayı 'hay dun-sparrow'	Tarlakuşu 'field bird'
Eremophila
Latin	English/Russian	Mongolian	Former & Other M	Chinese (incl. Taiwan)	Japanese	Korean	Kazakh	Turkish
Eremophila alpestris	Horned lark or Shore lark Рогатый жаворонок	Шоорон эвэртболжмор shooroŋ evert-boljmor 'pointed horned-lark'	Шоорон алаг болжмор shooroŋ alag boljmor 'pointed motley lark'	角百灵 (角百靈) jiǎo bǎi-líng 'horned hundred-spirit'	ハマヒバリ (浜雲雀) hama hibari 'shore lark' (hibari written 'cloud sparrow')		Құлақты бозторғай qulaqtı boz-torğay 'eared dun-sparrow'	Kulaklı Toygar 'eared lark'

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