The Eurasian Skylark is originally a steppe bird. It prefers open cultivated land with short and sparse vegetation, keeping its distance from tall structures such as trees, copses and settlements. Since the 1970s, the intensification of agricultural land use has resulted in declining populations in large parts of Europe. In Switzerland, too, the Eurasian Skylark population has been in a state of steady decline since the 1990s, and the species has disappeared from many areas. It is now classified as vulnerable on the Red List of endangered bird species in Switzerland.
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© Markus Jenny
Eurasian Skylark
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© Markus Jenny
Optimum habitat in arable land with fallow land and small plots
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© Judith Zellweger
Eurasian Skylark clutch in widely sown winter wheat
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© Reto Spaar
The Eurasian Skylark occurs up to the Alpine level. Schamserberg GR.
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© Markus Jenny
Eurasian Skylark in its Alpine habitat.
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© Pauline Sutter-Aelvoet
Eurasian Skylark clutch in a sub-Alpine hay meadow with dwarf shrubs.
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© Claire Lischer
Eurasian Skylark nestlings (2 days old) in a sub-Alpine mountain meadow.
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© Pauline Sutter-Aelvoet
Eurasian Skylark nestlings (10 days old) in a summering pasture. Soon the young will leave the nest and spend about a week exploring the neighbourhood on foot without flying away from danger.
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© Markus Jenny
Open farmland in the Klettgau region of Schaffhausen: the Eurasian Skylark feels at home here
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© Markus Jenny
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© Markus Jenny
©
© Judith Zellweger
©
© Reto Spaar
©
© Markus Jenny
©
© Pauline Sutter-Aelvoet
©
© Claire Lischer
©
© Pauline Sutter-Aelvoet
©
© Markus Jenny
Eurasian Skylark
Optimum habitat in arable land with fallow land and small plots
Eurasian Skylark clutch in widely sown winter wheat
The Eurasian Skylark occurs up to the Alpine level. Schamserberg GR.
Eurasian Skylark in its Alpine habitat.
Eurasian Skylark clutch in a sub-Alpine hay meadow with dwarf shrubs.
Eurasian Skylark nestlings (2 days old) in a sub-Alpine mountain meadow.
Eurasian Skylark nestlings (10 days old) in a summering pasture. Soon the young will leave the nest and spend about a week exploring the neighbourhood on foot without flying away from danger.
Open farmland in the Klettgau region of Schaffhausen: the Eurasian Skylark feels at home here
Species promotion – Eurasian Skylark
Protection and promotion for the “minstrel of the air”
Domain
Conservation
Unit
Agricultural Habitats
Topic
Species Recovery, Habitat Promotion
Habitat
farmland, meadows and pastures
Project start
2012
Project status
ongoing
Project management
Judith Zellweger-Fischer
Project region
Aargau, Bern, Fribourg, Geneva, Grisons, Lucerne, Schaffhausen, Thurgau, Vaud, Valais
Project team members
Agricultural habitats employee
Judith Zellweger-Fischer
+41 41 462 97 73
judith.zellweger@vogelwarte.ch
Species concerned
Unit
Agricultural habitats
We promote wildlife-friendly agriculture with more high-quality and better-connected habitats, fewer artificial fertilisers and fewer pesticides.
