Larks and Pipits
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Increase abundance
Data collection in progress
Kakheti Steppes
Georgia
Problem: Overgrazing in this landscape has led to the degradation of grassland quality, which affects both prey (invertebrate) abundance and habitat availability for ground-nesting birds such as lark (Alaudidae) and pipit (Motacillidae) species.
Action: SABUKO is working with farmers and shepherds to increase their participation in rotational grazing, which means that portions of the pastures will be left ungrazed at any given time to recover from the grazing season, benefitting both invertebrates and ground-nesting birds.
Indicator: An increase in lark and pipit species will indirectly reflect increased grassland quality in response to the implementation of rotational grazing. They serve as indicators due to their ecological requirements, their high detectability (due to their territorial displays in spring-summer), and their sensitivity to grazing pressure. They are known for their ground-nesting habits and diverse diet, including insects, seeds, and plants, which are valuable indicators of insect population dynamics and biodiversity within grasslands, thereby reflecting the overall health of this ecosystem. This indicator complements indicators measures looking directly at grassland plant cover and biomass.
Tawny pipit (Anthus campestris). Photo: Nika Budaghashvili.
Turkestan short-toed lark (Alaudala heinei). Photo: Nika Budaghashvili.
Nika Budaghashvili conducting a point count survey in the Kotsakhura Emerald Newtork Site. Photo: Giorgi Khubashvili.
Methods
Four lark and one pipit species have been selected based on their prevalence in the project area and varying sensitivity to grazing pressure:
- Crested Lark (Galerida cristata) inhabits dry plains with sparse vegetation cover and dry cultivations.
- Greater Short-toed Lark (Calandrella brachydactyla) prefers dry areas with sparse and low vegetation cover, on level or undulating terrain, with sandy or stony soils.
- Calandra Lark (Melanocorypha calandra) inhabits open plains, from steppes and pastures to extensive dry cereal cultivations, true steppe, with dense grass cover.
- Turkestan Short-toed Lark (Alaudala heinei) favours sandy steppe-like landscapes and semi-deserts with sparse grass, shrubs, and herbs (e.g., Artemisia spp. and Caragana spp.), also dry plains.
- Tawny Pipit (Anthus campestris) lives in an open dry habitats, from dry grassland and clear-felled areas to artificial habitats such as gravel pits; they favour steppe and semi-deserts with dwarf shrubs and low-growing trees.
Point count surveys were undertaken in 50 plots across three sites within the project area (Chachuna, Samukhi and Vashlovani), which covers a gradient of grassland subtypes (see map below, Fig. 1). The baseline survey was conducted in June to July 2024. In the coming years, some of these plots will implement sustainable, rotational grazing (treatment plots), and some will receive no treatment, therefore continuing ‘business as usual’ overgrazing (control plots). The same plots were monitored for grassland plant cover surveys.
Figure 1: Map of permanent monitoring plots, where point counts were conducted. This shows the distribution of plots across the project area (each with radius of 200m), covering a variety of microhabitats and vegetation covers to better identify habitat preferences of the bird species and assess the condition and suitability of the habitat for them.
Results
Results from the baseline survey show the distribution of species abundance across the three monitoring sites (Fig. 2). In the coming years SABUKO will compare results between the control and treatment plots, and share trends associated with bird abundance in response to the implementation of rotational grazing practices.
Figure 2: Baseline abundance of five indicator bird species across three sites within the project area: Chachuna, Samukhi and Vashlovani. Points denote outlier values for counts.
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