|
|
Melanocorypha yeltoniensis
– Least Concern
Taxonomy
|
Kingdom:
|
ANIMALIA
|
|
Phylum:
|
CHORDATA
|
|
Class:
|
AVES
|
|
Order:
|
PASSERIFORMES
|
|
Family:
|
ALAUDIDAE
|
|
Scientific Name:
|
Melanocorypha yeltoniensis
|
|
Species Authority:
|
(Forster, 1767)
|
|
Common Name/s:
|
BLACK LARK (Eng)
|
Assessment Information
|
Red List Category & Criteria:
|
LC ver 3.1 (2001)
|
|
Year Assessed:
|
2006
|
|
Assessor/s:
|
BirdLife International
|
|
Evaluator/s:
|
Burfield, I., Butchart, S. & Pilgrim, J. (BirdLife International Red List Authority)
|
|
History:
|
| 1988 | - | Lower Risk/least concern (BirdLife International 2004) |
| 1994 | - | Lower Risk/least concern (BirdLife International 2004) |
| 2000 | - | Lower Risk/least concern (BirdLife International 2000) |
| 2004 | - | Least Concern (BirdLife International 2004) |
|
Geographic Range
|
Range Description:
|
This species has a large range, with an estimated global Extent of Occurrence of 1,000,000-10,000,000 km². It has a large global population, including an estimated 4,000-7,000 pairs in Europe, in south-eastern European Russia, which accounts for less than a quarter of its global range2. Populations in the most suitable habitat in central Kazakhstan have been estimated to be in the "hundreds of thousands, and maybe even millions of breeding pairs"1. Interpretation of the limited available information on population trends is complicated by the species' nomadic nature and large interannual fluctuations in abundance and distribution. The European population declined by 20-50% during 1970-1990, and over 50% during 1990-2000, as a result of steppe cultivation and overgrazing2,7. In the Volgograd Region (Russia and western Kazakhstan), there has been a steady decrease in the species' numbers from the mid-1960s to 20005. Spring surveys in the Uzen Limans area (western Kazakhstan) revealed declines exceeding 99% between 1985 and 19956. In parts of the Kostanay region (northern Kazakhstan), where the species was once widespread and numerous, its distribution and abundance have decreased noticeably over the past 25 years, and in 2005 large numbers were seen in only two areas3. However, in other areas of north-central Kazakhstan, the species was relatively common in 2005, especially in the taller steppe vegetation1,4. In summary, in Kazakhstan, the species appears to have a relatively stable population and is common in suitable habitats (although not dispersed evenly, with empty areas)8. In wintering areas in Uzbekistan, numbers are weather-dependent, but generally stable8. Overall, the species is not believed to approach the thresholds for the population decline criterion of the IUCN Red List (i.e. declining more than 30% in ten years or three generations). For these reasons, the species is evaluated as Least Concern.
|
|
Countries:
|
Native:
Azerbaijan; Iran, Islamic Republic of; Kazakhstan; Kyrgyzstan; Russian Federation; Uzbekistan
Vagrant:
Austria; Belgium; Finland; Germany; Italy; Lebanon; Malta; Mongolia; Poland; Sweden; Ukraine
|
Habitat and Ecology
|
|
