Habitat associations of Eurasian Skylarks Alauda arvensis breeding on Irish farmland and implications for agri-environment planning

Abstract

Capsule Skylarks breeding in Ireland prefer extensive grassland habitats and almost completely avoid tillage habitats. Aims To describe the distribution and habitat use of breeding Skylarks in Ireland, particularly in lowland agricultural habitats, and to use this information to inform conservation measures for this species. Methods Countryside Bird Survey (CBS) and Farmland Bird Project (FBP) data were examined to determine large-scale (national) distribution and habitat selection, in addition to smaller-scale (farm-and fieldlevel) habitat use. The CBS is a national breeding bird monitoring scheme involving 397 1-km squares. The FBP collected detailed bird and habitat data from 122 farms. Results CBS and FBP data both showed significant regional differences in breeding Skylark densities, with the highest relative abundances in the northwest and west. Dry grassland/grass moor habitats supported the highest densities of breeding Skylarks in the CBS, which were significantly higher than in improved grassland or tillage. At the farm-level, Skylark numbers were positively related to wetland habitats but negatively associated with trees in field boundaries, dense ground vegetation and overall density of farm boundaries. At the field-scale, larger fields and unimproved grasslands were preferred. Conclusion Agri-environment measures tailored to region-specific requirements and to the relatively local habitat preferences of target species are required if population declines of species of conservation concern, including Skylarks, are to be reversed.

Habitat management effects on Prealpine grassland bird communities

“…Although most studies concerning skylark and tree pipit breeding habitat associations have focused on lowland populations and on the effects of agricultural intensification (e.g. Burton 2009;Copland et al 2012), the few that were conducted in grazed and/or mown grasslands reported results similar to ours (e.g. Kumstátová et al 2004;Birrer et al 2007;Erdős et al 2011;Schaub et al 2011;Fonderflick et al 2013).…”

Effects of human depopulation and warming climate on bird populations in Japan

“…For example, the cumulative ecological risks associated with pesticides have continuously decreased (Nagai et al., 2022) and the area of farmland consolidation (e.g., the expansion and shaping of agricultural land) has increased only slightly (Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry & Fisheries, 2022a). Moreover, growing evidence suggests that abandoned fields have transitioned to tall grasslands or forests, causing a loss of early‐successional habitats and associated species, including the skylark ( Alauda arvensis ) (Copland et al., 2012; Koshida & Katayama, 2018; but see Kitazawa et al., 2019). Furthermore, rural abandonment could cause a nationwide decline in open‐land butterflies (Sugimoto et al., 2022).…”

Opportunities within the Revised EU Common Agricultural Policy to Address the Decline of Farmland Birds: An Irish Perspective

“…It has been demonstrated that there are important differences in how species behave in Ireland compared to other European countries. For example, in Ireland breeding Skylarks Alauda arvensis are associated with extensive grassland habitats, whereas in other European countries (e.g., the United Kingdom) they tend to select arable farming systems [48]. In addition, the nature of the relationship with farmland bird communities and agricultural activity, as measured by intensity, appears to be somewhat different.…”