Eremophila alpestris
Vulnerable
| Habitats | Rocky Terrain |
|---|---|
| Presence In Israel | Summer |
| Breeding In Israel | Breeder |
| Migration Types | Short Range / Partial |
| Zoographical Zones | Alpine |
| Landscape Types | Mountainous |
| Vegetation Types | Steppe, Herbaceous |
| Vegetation Densities | Low |
| Nest Locations | Ground |
| Diet Types | Invertebrate, Herbivore |
| Foraging Grounds | Ground |
| Body Sizes | Small (up to 500g) |
| Threat Factors | Habitat loss and fragmentation |
A medium-sized lark that breeds in arid, barren mountainous landscapes. Identified by its distinctive head pattern that includes a black mask and bib and two “horns” protruding from the sides of its head. The remaining body parts are cryptically colored brown-grey that conceal the bird in its rocky environment.
The Horned Lark breeds only on Mt. Hermon at altitudes of 1,900 meters and above. The population on the Israeli part of Mt. Hermon is estimated at about 50 pairs (Israeli & Perlman 2013).
The Horned Lark population is threatened by development on the upper Mt. Hermon that includes roads, ski run and other installations.
No specific conservation measures have been taken for this species to date.
Development works on Mt. Hermon should be kept to minimum in order to reduce their impact on natural habitats.
- ישראלי, נ. ופרלמן, י. 2013. סיכום סקר עופות מקננים בחרמון. דו"ח מרכז הצפרות של החברה להגנת הטבע.
- פז, ע. 1986. עופות. מתוך אלון, ע. (עורך), החי והצומח של ארץ ישראל. כרך 6. הוצאת משרד הביטחון, ישראל.
- שוחט, א., פרלמן, י., שני, א., עובדיה, ע., ישראלי, נ., פרלמן, ג. ואלון, ד. 2009. טיבוע ציפורים ארוך טווח בחרמון: תמורות בהרכב החברה ובדינאמיקה של אוכלוסיות.
- Shirihai, H., 1996. The Birds of Israel. Academic Press, London.
- Symes, A. 2013. Species generation lengths. Unpublished, BirdLife International.
- Species page at Birdlife International
Contributed:
Current Occupancy Map
| Data Missing | Sporadic | Limited Sites | Low Density | High Density |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Distribution maps
The maps presented here provide visual information on the distribution of species in Israel from the past and present, and the changes in occupancy and breeding density during the comparison period. For further reading
Relative Abundance 2010-2020
Breeding density values in the current decade as determined from experts' opinion and observations from databases.
| Data Missing | Sporadic | Limited Sites | Low Density | High Density |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | 12 | 12 | 21 | 19 |
Relative Abundance 1980-1990
Density values based primarily on the book The Birds of Israel (Shirihai 1996).
| Data Missing | Sporadic | Limited Sites | Low Density | High Density |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 14 | 14 | 17 | 22 |
Occupancy 1990-2020
The map shows differences in the species breeding distribution between the 1980's breeding map and the current weighted breeding evaluation. Negative value - species previously bred in the grid and is not presently breeding; positive value - species has not previously bred in the grid and is currently breeding.
| Data Missing | No Change | Occupancy Increase | Occupancy Decrease |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 35 | 1 | 9 |
Change in Relative Abundance 1990-2020
The map shows the changes in the relative abundance of a species in each of the distribution grids between the breeding map of the 1980s and the weighted current breeding evaluation. Negative values - decline in abundance; positive values - increase in abundance; zero - no change in abundance.
| 80 to 100 | 50 | 20 to 30 | No Change | 30- to 20- | 50- | 100- to 80- | Data Missing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 4 | 2 | 22 | 12 | 14 | 11 | 16 |
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| Threat Definition according to the red book |
