The taxonomic status of Mirafra cantillans and M. javanica has undergone revision severaltimes: sometimes considered a single species, but most often considered two separate species.Recent mitochondrial (Alström et al. 2013) and multilocus (Alström et al. 2023) studies havecontributed to this dynamic, with the mitochondrial data suggesting that there is only onespecies, while the genomic data is more indicative of two species. Despite this, vocalizations,a known tool for identifying avian species and an important source of data in taxonomicstudies, have not yet been analyzed for this species complex. This study analyzed recordingsof vocalizations of M. cantillans and M. javanica (here treated as two species) to provide newinsight into their taxonomy. Based on over 150 recordings from across the range (westernAfrica to eastern Australia), I used a combination of numerical measurements, auditory, andvisual data to evaluate their taxonomy. Overlap and consistencies between the patterns of thesongs was found throughout the entire range of the complex, with the most vocally distinctgeographical population identified being from India, though there was significant overlapbetween all populations. Mimicry, continuous songs, and block patterning were found to bepresent throughout the majority of the populations from different geographical regions. Threegeographically separate song types were identified (Africa to Arabia, India, and SoutheastAsia to Australia).

<p>I use morphological, vocal, molecular, behavioural, ecological and distributional data to re-evaluate the systematics of three passerine bird groups, the <i>Mirafraassamica </i>complex (bush-larks), the genus <i>Seicercus</i> ("spectacled-warblers"; with emphasis on the the <i>S. burkii</i> complex) and the genus <i>Motacilla</i> (wagtails). Two new species are described: <i>Seicercus soror</i> and <i>Motacilla samveasnae</i>. I propose that the polytypic species <i>M. assamica</i> should be treated as four separate species: <i>M. assamica</i>, <i>M. affinis</i>, <i>M. microptera</i> and <i>M. marionae</i> (it is also remarked that the proper name of the latter is <i>M. erythrocephala</i>). That is primarily supported by vocalisations and mitochondrial DNA. The latter data set also suggests that <i>M. assamica</i> sensu lato is paraphyletic, since <i>M. erythroptera</i>, which is always treated as a separate species, is nested within the <i>M. assamica</i> complex. I propose that the polytypic species <i>S. burkii</i> comprises six sibling species. Some of these are found to breed sympatrically, although mainly or entirely segregated altitudinally. Mitochondrial DNA suggests that the <i>S. burkii</i> complex is non-monophyletic, and also that the divergence of the different taxa is much older than indicated by morphological and vocal data. According to the molecular phylogeny, both the genera <i>Seicercus</i> and its assumed sister genus <i>Phylloscopus</i> are paraphyletic. That is corroborated by independent data. The phylogenetic study of the genus <i>Motacilla</i> reveals incongruence between mitochondrial DNA, nuclear DNA and non-molecular data. I conclude that the nuclear gene tree reflects the organismal phylogeny more faithfully than the mitochondrial gene tree. The latter is likely to have been affected by introgressive hybridisation, possibly also stochastic lineage sorting. The most remarkable result that is strongly supported by both mitochondrial and nuclear DNA is that <i>M. flava</i> is non-monophyletic.</p>

I use morphological, vocal, molecular, behavioural, ecological and distributional data to re-evaluate the systematics of three passerine bird groups, the Mirafraassamica complex (bush-larks), the genus Seicercus ("spectacled-warblers"; with emphasis on the the S. burkii complex) and the genus Motacilla (wagtails). Two new species are described: Seicercus soror and Motacilla samveasnae. I propose that the polytypic species M. assamica should be treated as four separate species: M. assamica, M. affinis, M. microptera and M. marionae (it is also remarked that the proper name of the latter is M. erythrocephala). That is primarily supported by vocalisations and mitochondrial DNA. The latter data set also suggests that M. assamica sensu lato is paraphyletic, since M. erythroptera, which is always treated as a separate species, is nested within the M. assamica complex. I propose that the polytypic species S. burkii comprises six sibling species. Some of these are found to breed sympatrically, although mainly or entirely segregated altitudinally. Mitochondrial DNA suggests that the S. burkii complex is non-monophyletic, and also that the divergence of the different taxa is much older than indicated by morphological and vocal data. According to the molecular phylogeny, both the genera Seicercus and its assumed sister genus Phylloscopus are paraphyletic. That is corroborated by independent data. The phylogenetic study of the genus Motacilla reveals incongruence between mitochondrial DNA, nuclear DNA and non-molecular data. I conclude that the nuclear gene tree reflects the organismal phylogeny more faithfully than the mitochondrial gene tree. The latter is likely to have been affected by introgressive hybridisation, possibly also stochastic lineage sorting. The most remarkable result that is strongly supported by both mitochondrial and nuclear DNA is that M. flava is non-monophyletic.

The Rufous-naped lark Mirafra africana complex consists of 22 subspecies spread across the African continent. Several of the subspecies have recently been suggested to potentially be treated as separate species. In this study a comparative analysis was done on the song from seven of the subspecies: M. a. africana, M. a. athi, M. a. grisescens, M. a. kabalii, M. a. nyikae, M. a. transvaalensis and M. a. tropicalis. The results showed that M. a. athi, M. a. kabalii and M. a. nyikae are all very divergent from each other as well as from the other four subspecies. In contrast, M. a. tropicalis, M. a. grisescens, M. a. africana and M. a. transvaalensis are not clearly separable from each other. Based on the results, I suggest that M. a. athi, M. a. kabalii and M. a. nyikae can be classified as separate species, with M. a. africana, M. a. tropicalis, M. a grisescens and M. a. transvaalensis forming a fourth species (M. africana sensu stricto). Finally, I conclude that this study shows that more studies need to be done on the subspecies of the Mirafra africana complex.