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Eurasian Skylark Alauda arvensis
IUCN Red List history
| Year | Category |
|---|---|
| 2012 | Least Concern |
| 2009 | Least Concern |
| 2008 | Least Concern |
| 2004 | Least Concern |
| 2000 | Lower Risk/Least Concern |
| 1994 | Lower Risk/Least Concern |
| 1988 | Lower Risk/Least Concern |
Species attributes
| Migratory status | full migrant | Forest dependency | Does not normally occur in forest |
| Land mass type | Average mass | - |
Distribution
| Estimate | Data quality | |
|---|---|---|
| Extent of Occurrence breeding/resident (km2) | 33,000,000 | medium |
| Number of locations | - | |
| Fragmentation | - |
Population & trend
| Estimate | Data quality | Derivation | Year of estimate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. of mature individuals | poor | Estimated | 2009 | |
| Population trend | Decreasing | - | ||
| Number of subpopulations | - | - | - | |
| Largest subpopulation | - | - | - | |
| Generation length (yrs) | 4.3 | - | - | - |
| Population justification: In Europe, the breeding population is estimated to number 40,000,000-80,000,000 breeding pairs, equating to 120,000,000-240,000,000 individuals (BirdLife International 2004). Europe forms 25-49% of the global range, so a very preliminary estimate of the global population size is 245,000,000-960,000,000 individuals, although further validation of this estimate is needed. National population estimates include: c.10,000-100,000 breeding pairs and c.1,000-10,000 individuals on migration in China; < c.50 individuals on migration and < c.50 wintering individuals in Taiwan; c.10,000-100,000 breeding pairs and c.1,000-10,000 wintering individuals in Korea; c.10,000-100,000 breeding pairs and c.1,000-10,000 wintering individuals in Japan and c.10,000-100,000 breeding pairs and c.1,000-10,000 individuals on migration in Russia (Brazil 2009). | ||||
| Trend justification: The population is estimated to be in decline following marked regional declines in recent decades linked to agricultural intensification (del Hoyo et al. 2004). In Europe, trends since 1980 show that populations have undergone a moderate decline (p<0.01), based on provisional data for 21 countries from the Pan-European Common Bird Monitoring Scheme (EBCC/RSPB/BirdLife/Statistics Netherlands; P. Vorisek in litt. 2008). | ||||
Country/Territory distribution
| Country/Territory | Occurrence status | Extinct | Breeding | Non-breeding | Passage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afghanistan | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Albania | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Algeria | Native | No | |||
| Andorra | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Armenia | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Australia | Introduced | No | Yes | ||
| Austria | Native | No | |||
| Azerbaijan | Native | No | |||
| Bahrain | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Belarus | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Belgium | Native | No | |||
| Bermuda (to UK) | Vagrant | No | |||
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | Native | No | |||
| Bulgaria | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Canada | Introduced | No | |||
| Chad | Vagrant | No | |||
| China (mainland) | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Croatia | Native | No | |||
| Cyprus | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Czech Republic | Native | No | |||
| Denmark | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Egypt | Native | No | |||
| Estonia | Native | No | |||
| Faroe Islands (to Denmark) | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Finland | Native | No | Yes | ||
| France | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Georgia | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Germany | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Gibraltar (to UK) | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Greece | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Hong Kong (China) | Vagrant | No | |||
| Hungary | Native | No | Yes | ||
| India | Native | No | |||
| Iran, Islamic Republic of | Native | No | |||
| Iraq | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Ireland | Native | No | |||
| Israel | Native | No | |||
| Italy | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Japan | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Jordan | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Kazakhstan | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Kuwait | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Kyrgyzstan | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Latvia | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Lebanon | Native | No | Yes | Yes | |
| Libya | Native | No | |||
| Liechtenstein | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Lithuania | Native | No | |||
| Luxembourg | Native | No | |||
| Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of | Native | No | |||
| Malta | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Mauritania | Vagrant | No | |||
| Moldova | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Mongolia | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Montenegro | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Morocco | Native | No | |||
| Netherlands | Native | No | |||
| New Zealand | Introduced | No | Yes | ||
| North Korea | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Norway | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Oman | Native | No | Yes | Yes | |
| Pakistan | Native | No | |||
| Palestinian Authority Territories | Native | No | |||
| Poland | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Portugal | Native | No | |||
| Qatar | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Romania | Native | No | |||
| Russia (Asian) | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Russia (Central Asian) | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Russia (European) | Native | No | Yes | ||
| San Marino | Native | No | |||
| Saudi Arabia | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Serbia | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Slovakia | Native | No | |||
| Slovenia | Native | No | |||
| South Korea | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Spain | Native | No | |||
| Svalbard and Jan Mayen Islands (to Norway) | Vagrant | No | |||
| Sweden | Native | No | |||
| Switzerland | Native | No | |||
| Syria | Native | No | Yes | Yes | |
| Tajikistan | Native | No | |||
| Tunisia | Native | No | |||
| Turkey | Native | No | |||
| Turkmenistan | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Ukraine | Native | No | |||
| United Arab Emirates | Native | No | Yes | ||
| United Kingdom | Native | No | |||
| USA | Introduced | No | |||
| Uzbekistan | Native | No | Yes | ||
| Western Sahara | Native | No | Yes |
Important Bird Areas where this species has triggered the IBA criteria
| Country/Territory | IBA Name | IBA link |
|---|---|---|
| Bulgaria | Zlatiata |  |
| Czech Republic | Krivoklatsko (Krivoklatsko region) | |
| Russia (European) | Flood-plain of Algashka river | |
| Russia (European) | Orenburgski Nature Reserve | |
| Serbia | Deliblatska pescara | |
| Serbia | Sara mountain | |
| Serbia | Stara mountain-Vidlic | |
| Serbia | Vlasina | |
Habitats & altitude
| Habitat (level 1) | Habitat (level 2) | Importance | Occurrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Artificial/Terrestrial | Arable Land | suitable | breeding |
| Artificial/Terrestrial | Arable Land | suitable | non-breeding |
| Artificial/Terrestrial | Pastureland | suitable | breeding |
| Artificial/Terrestrial | Pastureland | suitable | non-breeding |
| Grassland | Subtropical/Tropical Dry | suitable | non-breeding |
| Grassland | Temperate | suitable | non-breeding |
| Grassland | Temperate | suitable | breeding |
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | Coastal Sand Dunes | suitable | non-breeding |
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | Coastal Sand Dunes | suitable | breeding |
| Marine Intertidal | Rocky Shoreline | suitable | non-breeding |
| Marine Intertidal | Salt Marshes (Emergent Grasses) | major | breeding |
| Marine Intertidal | Salt Marshes (Emergent Grasses) | major | non-breeding |
| Marine Intertidal | Sandy Shoreline and/or Beaches, Sand Bars, Spits, Etc | suitable | non-breeding |
| Marine Intertidal | Shingle and/or Pebble Shoreline and/or Beaches | suitable | non-breeding |
| Marine Intertidal | Tidepools | suitable | non-breeding |
| Shrubland | Mediterranean-type Shrubby Vegetation | suitable | breeding |
| Shrubland | Mediterranean-type Shrubby Vegetation | suitable | non-breeding |
| Shrubland | Temperate | suitable | breeding |
| Shrubland | Temperate | suitable | non-breeding |
| Wetlands (inland) | Bogs, Marshes, Swamps, Fens, Peatlands | suitable | breeding |
| Wetlands (inland) | Bogs, Marshes, Swamps, Fens, Peatlands | suitable | non-breeding |
| Altitude | 0 - 3500 m | Occasional altitudinal limits |
Utilisation
| Purpose | Primary form used | Life stage used | Source | Scale | Level | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pets | Whole | Adults and juveniles | Wild | Subsistence, National | Non-trivial | Recent |
| Food (human) | Whole | Adults and juveniles | Wild | Subsistence, National | Non-trivial | Recent |
| Pets | Whole | Adults and juveniles | Wild | International | Non-trivial | Recent |
| Sport | Whole | Adults and juveniles | Wild | Subsistence, National | Non-trivial | Recent |
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2013) Species factsheet: Alauda arvensis. Downloaded from
http://www.birdlife.org on 20/05/2013.
Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2013) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from
http://www.birdlife.org on 20/05/2013.
This information is based upon, and updates, the information published in BirdLife International (2000) Threatened birds of the world. Barcelona and Cambridge, UK: Lynx Edicions and BirdLife International, BirdLife International (2004) Threatened birds of the world 2004 CD-ROM and BirdLife International (2008) Threatened birds of the world 2008 CD-ROM. These sources provide the information for species accounts for the birds on the IUCN Red List.
To provide new information to update this factsheet or to correct any errors, please email BirdLife
To contribute to discussions on the evaluation of the IUCN Red List status of Globally Threatened Birds, please visit BirdLife's Globally Threatened Bird Forums.
| Key facts | |
|---|---|
| Current IUCN Red List category | Least Concern |
| Family | Alaudidae (Larks) |
| Species name author | Linnaeus, 1758 |
| Population size | mature individuals |
| Population trend | Decreasing |
| Distribution size (breeding/resident) | 33,000,000 km2 |
| Country endemic? | No |
| Links to further information | |
| - Summary information on this species | |
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