Invest in the conservation of Raso Skylark on the Cape Verde Islands

One of the rarest and most threatened birds in the world

Invest in the conservation of Raso Skylark on the Cape Verde Islands image

Please help us work with the African Bird Club to complete this project

The Bird Conservation Fund (BCF) is teaming up with the African Bird Club (ABC) to raise $6,670 to deepen the understanding of the predation risks that are threatening Raso Skylark, one of the globe’s rarest and most threatened species.

The Raso Skylark (Alauda razae) is one of the rarest and most threatened birds in the world. Its total population has fluctuated from a low of 130 individuals (2001) to a high of 1490 (2011). This species was confined to the small oceanic island of Raso (Cape Verde) until its translocation in 2018, to the nearby Santa Luzia Island. The population fluctuates in response to rainfall and its survival is highly dependable on successful incubation time and minimal predation risk.

The proposed assessment of predation of adults and nests on Santa Luzia Island is essential for its survival. Nest success rates remain poorly studied but it is considered to be naturally very low on Raso, which is free of any introduced mammals, but heavy predated by the giant gecko Tarentola gigas, itself a threatened species. The adaptation of this bird to different ecosystems and predation pressures will be crucial for its long-term survival and conservation management. Therefore, the project team aims to estimate the impact of its potential predators. For this, the team will study the synergy of the three desert islands (Raso, Saint Luzia and Branco) together with the particular and unique aim to compare their different ecological situations in respect to the Raso Skylark population. The study on Branco might determine a future low predator translocation environment for the Raso Skylark.

Photo Credit and Thanks to Adam Riley - Rockjumper Birding