Dupont's Lark (Chersophilus duponti)

Juana, Eduardo de; Suárez, Francisco

doi:10.2173/bow.duplar1.01

Cited by 6 publications

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“…Dupont's Lark (Chersophilus duponti; Vieillot, 1824, family Alaudidae) is a paradigmatic case for the study of connectivity, given the high degree of both natural and human-induced fragmentation of its habitat in Spain (García-Antón et al, 2019), and its strong specialization (Suárez, 2010). It is a small (~17.5 cm,~38.5 g) bird that is extremely elusive, rare and, in Europe, only found in Spain, though it also occurs in northern Africa (De Juana & Suárez, 2020). The Spanish population is isolated from the African one and they are genetically and morphologically different (García et al, 2008;García-Antón, Garza & Traba, 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Connectivity in Spanish metapopulation of Dupont’s lark may be maintained by dispersal over medium-distance range and stepping stones

García-Antón

Garza

Traba

2021

PeerJ

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Background Dupont’s Lark is an endangered bird, whose fragmented distribution in Europe is entirely restricted to Spain. This lark, suffering pronounced population decline and range contraction, inhabits steppes that have long been used for grazing sheep and are now threatened by rural abandonment and land use changes. Thus, for conservation of the lark, increasing knowledge about the connectivity of the Spanish metapopulation and identifying the most important connectivity nodes are crucial. Methods The study was carried out in Spain, using over 16,000 Dupont’s Lark georeferenced observations. We used distance buffers to define populations and subpopulations, based on the available scientific information. We identified potential stepping stones using a MaxEnt probability of presence model. Connectivity was assessed using Conefor software, using the centroid of each subpopulation and stepping stone as nodes. Each node was assigned a quantitative attribute based on total habitat area, within-node habitat quality and internal fragmentation. We evaluated different connectivity scenarios by potential movement thresholds (5–20–100 km) and presence or absence of stepping stones in the network. Results Dupont’s Lark Iberian metapopulation comprises 24 populations and 100 subpopulations, plus 294 potential stepping stones. Movement thresholds and stepping stones had a strong influence in the potential network connectivity. The most important nodes are located in the core of the metapopulation, which shows connectivity among subpopulations in the different indices and scenarios evaluated. Peripheral populations are more isolated and require stepping stones or medium (20 km) or long (100 km) potential movement thresholds to join the network. Discussion Metapopulation connectivity may be greater than expected, thanks to stepping stones and potential medium-distance movements. Connectivity is crucial for conservation and can be increased by preserving or improving adequate habitat in the most important nodes. Given the current species decline, steppe habitat should be urgently protected from land use changes and agriculture intensification, at least in the critical subpopulations and stepping stones. Long-term conservation of steppe lands and Dupont’s Lark in Spain requires the recovery of traditional grazing and more research on juvenile dispersion. Meanwhile, the conservation of potentially critical stepping stones should be incorporated to management plans.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Connectivity in Spanish metapopulation of Dupont’s lark may be maintained by dispersal over medium-distance range and stepping stones

García-Antón

Garza

Traba

2021

PeerJ

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“…In addition, the shape and size of the bowl are a direct result of the typical movements involved in nest building, so they reflect female size (Collias & Collias, 2014). The Greater Short-toed Lark is 14-15cm long and weighs 16-24g (de Juana et al ., 2020), and consequently builds nests with smaller outer and inner bowl diameters than either Dupont's Lark (17-18cm; 32-47g; de Juana & Suárez, 2020) or the Eurasian Skylark (18-19cm; 30-36g; Campbell et al ., 2020). Our results provide evidence into the hypothesis that structural support for eggs and the incubating parent drive nest design (Heenan & Seymour, 2011).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For instance, the Greater Short-toed Lark located its nests towards the middle of the herbaceous-shrub gradient, including some herbaceous cover. This species has been described as selecting shrub-dominated habitats, siting nests close to a small shrub or grass clump (de Juana et al ., 2020), although with some flexibility (Serrano & Astrain, 2005). These findings suggest that the Greater Short-toed Lark may be more generalist in its habitat requirements, which allows it to diversify nesting sites and may facilitate sharing habitat with other sympatric species with similar ground-nesting requirements.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To check the progress and state of the nests and to determine the reproductive phenology of each species, nests were monitored every 1-5 days, avoiding disturbing the nests or the vegetation structure. Laying date was recorded for nests found during the building, laying or nestling phase period and estimated by back-dating from the date on which the nest was located, considering the reproductive phenology specified in the literature for each species (Campbell et al ., 2020; Collar, 2021; Cramp & Simmons, 1980; de Juana et al ., 2020; de Juana & Suárez, 2020; Tyler & Christie, 2020). The analysis of all monitored nests allowed us to estimate the approximate start and end dates of the breeding season for each species in the study area.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Nest Features and Nesting Niche Segregation in Five Iberian Steppe Passerines

Barrero

Caballero

Reverter

et al. 2023

Ardeola

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SummaryThe co-occurrence of morphologically similar species may be enabled by differences in resource use that limit the effects of interspecific competition, allowing coexistence. This study aimed to evaluate differences in nest structure and to characterise nesting microhabitats to test for nesting niche segregation among sympatric steppe passerines. From 2016 to 2019, we monitored and characterised the nest structure and nesting habitat of 71 nests from five sympatric passerines in shrub steppes in Central Spain: the Eurasian Skylark Alauda arvensis, the Greater Short-toed Lark Calandrella brachydactyla, Dupont's Lark Chersophilus duponti, the Tawny Pipit Anthus campestris and the Western Black-eared Wheatear Oenanthe hispanica. Nest structure was characterised by eight morphometric variables, while principal component analyses (PCA), MANOVA and univariate ANOVA were performed to characterise and evaluate differences in nesting microhabitat between species in both horizontal and vertical dimensions. All species built their nests under short vegetation (< 20cm) and with a similar nest depth. However, there were significant differences among species for some of the considered variables. For example, the three monitored lark species built their nests in areas with lower plant cover compared to the two non-lark species. GLM on PCA axes showed that some species differed in some aspect of nesting niche. In general, the Eurasian Skylark built its nests in areas with higher grassland cover, while the Greater Short-toed Lark selected more open areas, with a higher bare ground cover. Dupont's Lark, the Tawny Pipit and the Western Black-eared Wheatear nested mainly in shrubby areas dominated by chamaephytes. Overall, our results suggest the existence of nesting microhabitat segregation, mainly of the Eurasian Skylark with the rest of the species, which may contribute to explaining the coexistence between species that could potentially compete for nesting sites. This work contributes to understanding how differences in species nest site preferences may facilitate coexistence between similar sympatric species.—Barrero, A., Cortés Caballero, B., Reverter, M., Gómez-Catasús, J., Bustillo-de la Rosa, D., Zurdo, J., Pérez-Granados, C. & Traba, J. (2023). Nest features and nesting niche segregation in five Iberian steppe passerines. Ardeola, 70: 201-224.

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“…Resident species with limited dispersal ability and strongly associated to low and sparse shrub vegetation, such as the Dupont's lark Chersophilus duponti [6][7][8], may be particularly affected by these drastic changes in vegetation cover [9]. This is one of the most endangered passerines in Europe, with its actual range in the continent being limited to Spain [10]. The population of Dupont s lark in Spain has been recently estimated to be no more than 1400-1500 territorial pairs, with a yearly rate of 3.9% population decline.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Marked Range Regression and Possible Alteration of Distribution of the Dupont’s Lark Chersophilus duponti in Tunisia: Conservation Consequences of Vanishing Alfa Grass Stipa tenacissima Steppes in North Africa

2023

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The effect of global warming and desertification on bird populations of semi-arid North African ecosystems has been little studied, although ecosystems in those areas are suffering dramatic changes. Dupont’s lark is one of the most endangered passerines in Europe, but it is also considered scarce in North Africa, where its range and numbers are only well known for Morocco. We analyzed the current distribution and population size of Dupont’s lark in Tunisia and compared the current figures with older data. To assess the presence of the species in the patches of adequate habitat that we found, we elicited territorial calls by broadcasting the males’ territorial songs during early breeding season (N = 123, ≈40 h). Fieldwork (45 persons/day) and analysis of satellite images were combined to determine the current minimal extent of occurrence and area of occupancy, following IUCN definitions. In the only habitat where we found the species (well-preserved pure or mixed alfa patches in the Feriana-Kasserine region), the extent of occurrence in and effective area of occupancy were small (56.3 and 33.2 km2, respectively), particularly when compared with previous estimates (presence of the species in adequate habitat over ca. 89,000 km2). The species has not been detected at all in a large area in the southern part of its potential range, where additional surveys are urgently needed to locate possible remnant small and isolated populations that could persist, as suggested by two recent records of the species there. The breeding population of Dupont’s lark in Tunisia is estimated to be fewer than 600 song birds (335–577). The drastic reduction of range and numbers of this species must have been caused by the disappearance or degradation of alfa grasslands due to agricultural development, overgrazing, and increased aridity.

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Dupont's Lark (Chersophilus duponti)

Cited by 6 publications

References 0 publications

Connectivity in Spanish metapopulation of Dupont’s lark may be maintained by dispersal over medium-distance range and stepping stones

Connectivity in Spanish metapopulation of Dupont’s lark may be maintained by dispersal over medium-distance range and stepping stones

Nest Features and Nesting Niche Segregation in Five Iberian Steppe Passerines

Marked Range Regression and Possible Alteration of Distribution of the Dupont’s Lark Chersophilus duponti in Tunisia: Conservation Consequences of Vanishing Alfa Grass Stipa tenacissima Steppes in North Africa

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