Conservation and Management

Not globally threatened (Least Concern) (54 BirdLife International (2016). Certhilauda chuana. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T22717164A94522672. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22717164A94522672.en. Close ). This is due mainly to its extensive range (> 250,000 km²), and despite evidence of a population decline in places in South Africa, the population in neighboring Botswana appears to be stable or even possibly increasing (32 Brewster, C. A., K. Mooketsa, and Herremans, M. (2010). Status of Short-clawed Lark Certhilauda chuana in south-eastern Botswana. Bulletin of the African Bird Club 17(1):32–42. Close , 54 BirdLife International (2016). Certhilauda chuana. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T22717164A94522672. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22717164A94522672.en. Close ). Although the current global population size estimate falls between 50,000 and 100,000 individuals (54 BirdLife International (2016). Certhilauda chuana. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T22717164A94522672. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22717164A94522672.en. Close ), Brewster et al. (32 Brewster, C. A., K. Mooketsa, and Herremans, M. (2010). Status of Short-clawed Lark Certhilauda chuana in south-eastern Botswana. Bulletin of the African Bird Club 17(1):32–42. Close ) and Engelbrecht and Grossel (33 Engelbrecht, G. D., and J. I. Grosel (2015). Short-clawed Lark Certhilauda chuana. In The 2015 Eskom Red Data Book of Birds of South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland (M. R Taylor, F. Peacock, and R. M. Wanless, Editors), Birdlife South Africa, Johannesburg, South Africa. pp. 325–327. Close ) estimated that there are about 20,000 pairs in Botswana and between 500 and 5,000 individuals in South Africa respectively. The latest conservation assessment in South Africa retained the species as Near-threatened as there is evidence of a gradual population decline due to habitat loss and changes in agricultural practices (44 Herremans, M. (1997). Shortclawed Lark Certhilauda chuana clutch from Belfast (Mpumalanga) - a correction. Ostrich 68(2-4):121. Close , 55 Barnes, K.N., Editor (2000). The Eskom Red Data Book of Birds of South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland. BirdLife South Africa, Johannesburg. Close , 23 Grosel, J. I. (2007). Conservation of the Short-clawed Lark Certhilauda chuana. M.S. thesis, University of Limpopo, South Africa. Close , 39 Engelbrecht D., J. Grosel, and S. Dippenaar S (2007). The western population of the Short-clawed Lark in South Africa revisited. Bulletin of the African Bird Club 14(1):58–61. Close , 33 Engelbrecht, G. D., and J. I. Grosel (2015). Short-clawed Lark Certhilauda chuana. In The 2015 Eskom Red Data Book of Birds of South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland (M. R Taylor, F. Peacock, and R. M. Wanless, Editors), Birdlife South Africa, Johannesburg, South Africa. pp. 325–327. Close ).

Short-clawed Lark is sensitive to subtle, often indirect, aspects of human activity (41 Marr, S. M., J. I. Grosel, and G. D. Engelbrecht (2017). Habitat preference of the eastern population of the Short-clawed Lark Certhilauda chuana in the Limpopo province, South Africa. Ostrich 88:73–77. Close ).

Habitat Loss and Degradation

The most significant threat to the Short-clawed Lark is habitat change, specifically changes in habitat structure. Ironically, the species is most closely associated with anthropogenically degraded semi-arid savanna. In Botswana and most of the Polokwane Plateau, it occurs in rural areas where traditional agricultural practices are used. In these areas, moderate to heavy grazing and trampling by livestock, harvesting of wood for fuel and construction, and large fallow fields create and maintain the habitat it frequents most (see Habitat). The species generally avoids areas where grazing is limited, fire is withheld, or fields are commercially cultivated annually (44 Herremans, M. (1997). Shortclawed Lark Certhilauda chuana clutch from Belfast (Mpumalanga) - a correction. Ostrich 68(2-4):121. Close , 39 Engelbrecht D., J. Grosel, and S. Dippenaar S (2007). The western population of the Short-clawed Lark in South Africa revisited. Bulletin of the African Bird Club 14(1):58–61. Close , 32 Brewster, C. A., K. Mooketsa, and Herremans, M. (2010). Status of Short-clawed Lark Certhilauda chuana in south-eastern Botswana. Bulletin of the African Bird Club 17(1):32–42. Close , 33 Engelbrecht, G. D., and J. I. Grosel (2015). Short-clawed Lark Certhilauda chuana. In The 2015 Eskom Red Data Book of Birds of South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland (M. R Taylor, F. Peacock, and R. M. Wanless, Editors), Birdlife South Africa, Johannesburg, South Africa. pp. 325–327. Close ). In rural areas, heavy grazing and trampling usually prevent dry litter build-up and exclude fires. However, in areas where grazing is controlled, fire is withheld, and wood harvesting is restricted or absent, bush encroachment often renders the habitat unsuitable (41 Marr, S. M., J. I. Grosel, and G. D. Engelbrecht (2017). Habitat preference of the eastern population of the Short-clawed Lark Certhilauda chuana in the Limpopo province, South Africa. Ostrich 88:73–77. Close , 43 Engelbrecht, D. (2021). Missing, presumed dead: Mokgalaje the Short-clawed Lark. The Lark 36:87–92. Close ). It has been shown that habitat can quickly become unsuitable if grazing or browsing, cultivation, or fire is withheld for as short as 2–3 yr (41 Marr, S. M., J. I. Grosel, and G. D. Engelbrecht (2017). Habitat preference of the eastern population of the Short-clawed Lark Certhilauda chuana in the Limpopo province, South Africa. Ostrich 88:73–77. Close ). In parts of Botswana, changes in farming and grazing practices have also led to changes in habitat, with increasing bush encroachment potentially leading to a decline in habitat availability for Short-clawed Lark (32 Brewster, C. A., K. Mooketsa, and Herremans, M. (2010). Status of Short-clawed Lark Certhilauda chuana in south-eastern Botswana. Bulletin of the African Bird Club 17(1):32–42. Close , 41 Marr, S. M., J. I. Grosel, and G. D. Engelbrecht (2017). Habitat preference of the eastern population of the Short-clawed Lark Certhilauda chuana in the Limpopo province, South Africa. Ostrich 88:73–77. Close ).

In many parts of South Africa, road verges are maintained regularly by mowing or burning grass and removing woody vegetation. This creates suitable habitat for Short-clawed Lark, and the species can often be seen perched on roadside fences. It is not uncommon to find nests in road verges (DE, unpublished data), and it is conceivable that mowing or burning, which usually occurs during the breeding season, may destroy at least some nests. Still, the impact at a population level seems negligible.

A growing human population means more land is required for housing and development. Urban expansion encroaches on suitable habitat, leading to direct habitat loss, habitat degradation due to the dumping of household refuse and building rubble, increased vehicular and pedestrian disturbance, and increased habitat fragmentation. Still, Short-clawed Lark is often found on the edges of rural villages where overgrazing, high levels of pedestrian and vehicular traffic, wood harvesting, and clearing of land around homesteads create the species' preferred habitat. In some rural villages, it is even a common garden bird. However, a change in the predator suite close to urban areas, e.g., free-roaming cats and dogs, may impact adult survival and nesting success (33 Engelbrecht, G. D., and J. I. Grosel (2015). Short-clawed Lark Certhilauda chuana. In The 2015 Eskom Red Data Book of Birds of South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland (M. R Taylor, F. Peacock, and R. M. Wanless, Editors), Birdlife South Africa, Johannesburg, South Africa. pp. 325–327. Close ).

Effects of Invasive Species

Information needed.

Hunting and Trapping

In many rural areas within the species’ range, small birds, including Short-clawed Lark, are hunted by local people with rubber catapults (slingshots) to supplement protein in the diet (23 Grosel, J. I. (2007). Conservation of the Short-clawed Lark Certhilauda chuana. M.S. thesis, University of Limpopo, South Africa. Close ). Although not explicitly hunted, the species' relatively large size and confiding nature make it an easy target for hunters (23 Grosel, J. I. (2007). Conservation of the Short-clawed Lark Certhilauda chuana. M.S. thesis, University of Limpopo, South Africa. Close ). At present, such harvesting should have a negligible effect on the overall population. However, changing socio-economic conditions that result in people relying more on bush meat to meet nutritional requirements could negatively affect the species' status in the future.

Pesticides and Other Contaminants/Toxics

The species generally avoids commercial agricultural areas, but where it occurs in such areas, it may be affected directly by pesticides by the consumption of contaminated prey, or indirectly by a reduction in its prey base (33 Engelbrecht, G. D., and J. I. Grosel (2015). Short-clawed Lark Certhilauda chuana. In The 2015 Eskom Red Data Book of Birds of South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland (M. R Taylor, F. Peacock, and R. M. Wanless, Editors), Birdlife South Africa, Johannesburg, South Africa. pp. 325–327. Close ).

Collisions with Stationary/Moving Structures or Objects

Information needed.

Human/Research Impacts

Appears to be little affected by research activity as adults return to a nest within minutes of the researcher leaving the nesting area. Breeding success also seems unaffected by activities such as measuring eggs and nestlings, and even recently banded adults show little visible distress when released (DE, unpublished data).

Conservation Status

Although listed as Least Concern globally (54 BirdLife International (2016). Certhilauda chuana. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T22717164A94522672. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22717164A94522672.en. Close ) and Near-threatened in South Africa (33 Engelbrecht, G. D., and J. I. Grosel (2015). Short-clawed Lark Certhilauda chuana. In The 2015 Eskom Red Data Book of Birds of South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland (M. R Taylor, F. Peacock, and R. M. Wanless, Editors), Birdlife South Africa, Johannesburg, South Africa. pp. 325–327. Close ), the species is afforded protection under provincial legislation in three provinces in South Africa. In the Limpopo Province, it is a Schedule 2 'Specially Protected Wild Animal' (Limpopo Environmental Management Act, Act No. 7 of 2003), a Schedule 2 'Specially Protected Species' (North West Biodiversity Management Act, Act No. 4 of 2016) in the North West Province, and a Schedule 2 'Protected Species' (Northern Cape Nature Conservation Act, Act No. 9 of 2009) in the Northern Cape Province. Short-clawed Lark does not receive any legal protection in Botswana, but it is a key species in the Southeast Botswana Important Bird Area (56 Tyler, S. J., and D. R. Bishop (2001). Botswana. In Important Bird Areas in Africa and Associated Islands: Priority sites for conservation (L. D. C. Fishpool and M. I. Evans, Editors), Pisces Publications and BirdLife International (BirdLife Conservation Series No.11), United Kingdom. pp. 99-112. Close ).

Conservation Measures and Habitat Management

Given its preference for habitats generally incompatible with sound habitat management principles, the species is poorly represented in protected areas. In South Africa, it is found in only two formally protected nature reserves: Polokwane Game Reserve (eastern population), and Botsalano Game Reserve in the North West Province (western population) (23 Grosel, J. I. (2007). Conservation of the Short-clawed Lark Certhilauda chuana. M.S. thesis, University of Limpopo, South Africa. Close , 36 Engelbrecht, D., and J. Grosel (2019). Short-clawed Lark range extension. The Lark 26:61–63. Close , 43 Engelbrecht, D. (2021). Missing, presumed dead: Mokgalaje the Short-clawed Lark. The Lark 36:87–92. Close ). It is not found in any protected area in Botswana (56 Tyler, S. J., and D. R. Bishop (2001). Botswana. In Important Bird Areas in Africa and Associated Islands: Priority sites for conservation (L. D. C. Fishpool and M. I. Evans, Editors), Pisces Publications and BirdLife International (BirdLife Conservation Series No.11), United Kingdom. pp. 99-112. Close ). Protected areas are generally unsuitable for the species as grazing is carefully managed, fires are controlled, and wood harvesting is usually not permitted, resulting in unsuitable vegetation (41 Marr, S. M., J. I. Grosel, and G. D. Engelbrecht (2017). Habitat preference of the eastern population of the Short-clawed Lark Certhilauda chuana in the Limpopo province, South Africa. Ostrich 88:73–77. Close , 43 Engelbrecht, D. (2021). Missing, presumed dead: Mokgalaje the Short-clawed Lark. The Lark 36:87–92. Close ).

The conservation management of the species should be aimed at ensuring its preferred habitat of degraded semi-arid savanna is maintained. This will require a delicate balance between creating and maintaining a suitable vegetation structure by encouraging traditional agricultural practices, yet restricting to some extent conditions, e.g., overgrazing and annual cultivation, that will ultimately lead to a loss of the agricultural potential of a region. This can be achieved by providing government incentives to rural farmers to continue farming and cultivating crops using traditional farming practices (32 Brewster, C. A., K. Mooketsa, and Herremans, M. (2010). Status of Short-clawed Lark Certhilauda chuana in south-eastern Botswana. Bulletin of the African Bird Club 17(1):32–42. Close ). Measures to curb bush encroachment, which ultimately affects the land's agricultural potential, will also benefit the conservation of Short-clawed Lark. Although uncommon on most commercial beef-producing farms, viable populations can be sustained on such farms if the current practice of rotational grazing is accompanied by bush clearing and a fire management plan to improve grazing and restrict the accumulation of dry litter (23 Grosel, J. I. (2007). Conservation of the Short-clawed Lark Certhilauda chuana. M.S. thesis, University of Limpopo, South Africa. Close ).