Woodlarks: Deprivation And Predation

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As a ground-dwelling passerine, woodlarks are ground-nesting birds, typically in heathland and short grass foliage. Bracken and grasses are usually needed to build their nest structures and provide protection for their young. Nests are vulnerable to disturbance and predation, especially by red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) (Eyre & Baldwin, 2014), whilst weather also acts as an interference – both of which are examined below. It’s suggested from studies, that the success of nest productivity has decreased over time, as woodlarks previously evolved to make optimal nests under different environmental conditions, different to those today (Mallord et al., 2007). For nest productivity to be at its optimum, the habitat mainly contributes to this success. …show more content…

They commonly suffer from disturbance. In recent years, there has been an increase in predation numbers (e.g. foxes and stoats) because of anthropogenic influences, such as leaving waste outside in urban areas. The predators are generalist feeders so if there is no competition for food, they’ll typically feed on small mammals rather than birds. Over the past 35 years, predation has doubled (Wright et al., 2009) causing a 50% decline in breeding productivity. For factors affected by predation, such as reproductive success and survival, the number of predators, mainly foxes, stoats and weasels, must be managed to maintain an optimal equilibrium between prey and predator …show more content…

The size of the land must be more than 3 hectares, where an average single woodlark territory can be measured up to 3 hectares. Sites therefore need to be managed to prevent overgrowth of flora, potentially causing damage to woodlark plant habitat species, e.g. heather. The presence of rabbits in a landscape can help promote abundance of heathland, forming short grass of <5cm and it’s been discovered that they have an influence on woodlark numbers, as experienced by their reductions by myxomatosis (Norfolk Biodiversity Action Plan, 2006). Shading must remain to a minimum as well as preventing overgrowth of invasive species (bracken), to allow suitable plant species to develop, for example heather and

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