The skylark has lived with humans in open agricultural landscapes for centuries. However, the industrialisation of agriculture has been threatening the skylark’s existence for decades, says BirdLife Switzerland, which has named it Swiss Bird of the Year for 2022.
As Bird of the Year, the skylark should also stand for other threatened species in cultivated land and point to a necessary reorientation of agricultural policy, the organisation saidExternal link on Thursday.
“Although small and inconspicuous, the skylark is one of the best and most persistent singers in the bird world,” it said. “In spring, it flutters for minutes over fields and meadows, warbling almost non-stop. The male uses his singing skills to win a female.”
The skylark is a ground-breeder. In April the female lays four to six eggs which hatch in 12 days on average. The young birds leave the nest after seven to 12 days – one of the shortest breeding and nesting periods among birds.
But this is no longer enough for safe broods, BirdLife Switzerland said. Skylarks now struggle to find safe breeding places and enough insects and spiders for their young. This is down to heavily fertilised meadows, frequent mowing and thus fewer flowering plants and insects.
More
More
Swiss species put at risk by farming methods
This content was published on
Farming has been blamed for the dangerous decline of several Swiss plant, bird and insect species in Switzerland.
As a result, the skylark has practically disappeared from the meadows of the Central Plateau. In canton Zurich, for example, the population declined by 90% between 1977 and 2017.
Only remnant populations
The skylark is also increasingly threatened in the Alps. Populations remain only in areas with many unfertilised and late-mown meadows in biodiversity promotion areas and in protected spaces.
In addition to meadows, the situation for the skylark has also dramatically worsened in fields. Food is scarce, pesticides are killing insects, and strips of arable land as refuges and arable flora are missing.
Although bird conservationists have been able to achieve minor successes nationwide, these are not enough to reverse the trend, BirdLife Switzerland said.
“Only through the right incentives of an ecologically oriented agricultural policy can the skylark and many other once-common species of our cultivated landscape be preserved in the long term,” said director Raffael Ayé.
More
More
Little owl is Swiss bird of the year
This content was published on
The little owl, almost extinct in Switzerland 20 years ago, has been chosen as BirdLife Switzerland’s “bird of the year” for 2021.
Swiss climate activists block vehicles near Gotthard tunnel
This content was published on
Around ten climate activists briefly blocked the A2 motorway near the northern entrance of the Gotthard tunnel on Thursday.
Watches belonging to Michael Schumacher up for auction
This content was published on
Schumacher's family is auctioning off eight rare watches from his collection in Geneva. The Christie's auction will take place on Monday.
Joya Marleen and Baschi named best solo acts at Swiss Music Awards
This content was published on
St. Gallen singer Joya Marleen and Baschi from Basel were named artists of the year at the Swiss Music Awards 2024 on Wednesday night.
Swiss authorities announce cost-cutting in asylum sector
This content was published on
The government notably wants to improve integration into the labour force, particularly for people with protection status S.
Various leaders confirm participation at Ukraine peace conference
This content was published on
The presidents of Poland, Finland, and Latvia and the prime ministers of Spain and Belgium will be at the Swiss-hosted talks in mid-June.
This content was published on
In the winter season up to April 2024, railway and cable car operators ferried 3% more visitors compared to the previous winter, and 5% more than the five-year average.
Rhine flooding: Swiss to invest CHF1 billion with Austria
This content was published on
As part of an international agreement with Austria, the Swiss government wants to pump CHF1 billion ($1.1 billion) into flood protection measures along the Rhine over the next three decades.
Swiss government proposes CHF10 million UNRWA donation
This content was published on
After months of debate, Switzerland plans to give CHF10 million ($11 million) to the UN agency this year, rather than the CHF20 million initially foreseen.
Pandemic turns Swiss into nation of bird ‘twitchers’
This content was published on
The conservation group challenged people to log the number of bird species in their gardens over the course of the week. Households, individuals and school classes responded with a record 140,850 sightings, BirdLife SwitzerlandExternal link reported on Sunday. The most common reported sightings were blackbirds, sparrows and great tits. But a number of other species,…
This content was published on
The lapwing, which almost became extinct in Switzerland, has been voted Bird of the Year 2019 by nature conservation group BirdLife Switzerland.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.