Current view: Data table and detailed info
Taxonomic note
Taxonomic source(s)
AERC TAC. 2003. AERC TAC Checklist of bird taxa occurring in Western Palearctic region, 15th Draft. Available at: http://www.aerc.eu/DOCS/Bird_taxa_of_the_WP15.xls.
AERC TAC. 2003. AERC TAC Checklist of bird taxa occurring in Western Palearctic region, 15th Draft. Available at: http://www.aerc.eu/DOCS/Bird_taxa_of_the_WP15.xls.
Cramp, S. and Perrins, C.M. 1977-1994. Handbook of the birds of Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The birds of the western Palearctic. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
Cramp, S.; Perrins, C. M. 1977-1994. Handbook of the birds of Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The birds of the western Palearctic. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
del Hoyo, J., Collar, N.J., Christie, D.A., Elliott, A., Fishpool, L.D.C., Boesman, P. and Kirwan, G.M. 2016. HBW and BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World. Volume 2: Passerines. Lynx Edicions and BirdLife International, Barcelona, Spain and Cambridge, UK.
IUCN Red List criteria met and history
Red List criteria met
Red List history
| Migratory status |
full migrant |
Forest dependency |
does not normally occur in forest |
| Land-mass type |
|
Average mass |
- |
Population justification: 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 (T. Barabashin in litt. 2005) and this is still thought to be the case (J. Kamp in litt. 2015). In Europe, which represents less than 10% of the global breeding range, the population is estimated to number just 50-100 breeding pairs (BirdLife International 2015).
Trend justification: The population is estimated to be in decline following apparent regional declines, probably owing to the loss of steppe to cultivation and livestock farming (del Hoyo et al. 2004). The European population declined by 20-50% during 1970-1990, over 50% during 1990-2000 and more than 99% since 2000 as a result of steppe cultivation and overgrazing (Tucker and Heath 1994, BirdLife International 2004a, 2015). In the Volgograd Region (Russia and western Kazakhstan), there has been a steady decrease in the species's numbers from the mid-1960s to 2000 (Lindeman and Lopushkov 2004). Spring surveys in the Uzen Limans area (western Kazakhstan) revealed declines exceeding 99% between 1985 and 1995 (V. Mosejikin in litt. 2005). 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 areas (E. Bragin and T. Katzner in litt. 2005).
However, in other areas of north-central Kazakhstan, the species was relatively common in 2005, especially in the taller steppe vegetation (BirdLife International 2004a, P. Donald in litt. 2005). Between 2008 and 2015, moderate local declines are suspected to have taken place in Kazakhstan however overall the population in Kazakhstan is thought to have been stable or experiencing slight declines since 2005 (J. Kamp in litt. 2015).
Country/territory distribution
Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBA)
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2025) Species factsheet: Black Lark Melanocorypha yeltoniensis. Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/black-lark-melanocorypha-yeltoniensis on 03/01/2025.
Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2025) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/search on 03/01/2025.
