Wildlife

Wild Skylark Farmland Welfare

Skylarks have declined significantly in UK arable farmland and their welfare depends on access to suitable nesting habitat within cropped fields.

Key Facts

Skylark populations declined by 55% in the UK between 1970 and 2016
Dense autumn-sown cereal crops exclude skylarks from nesting
Skylark plots - small unseeded patches within cereal crops - allow nesting
Chick welfare depends on invertebrate availability in cropped fields
Skylarks are multi-brooded, requiring nesting habitat availability from April to July

Welfare Considerations

Skylark chicks in dense cereal crops that fail to find adequate invertebrate food experience starvation. Skylark plots provide open nesting and foraging habitat within cereal fields at minimal cost per hectare. This simple intervention has measurable welfare and population benefits and is one of the most cost-effective arable wildlife welfare measures.

What You Can Do

Support agri-environment schemes funding skylark plots in cereal fields
Advocate for skylark plot requirements in farming subsidies
Donate to organisations monitoring skylark welfare and population trends