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Skylark (Alauda arvensis)

The Skylark is an introduced bird established in parts of south-eastern Australia, including Tasmania. It uses open farmland and grassland, where its feeding on seeds and its potential interactions with crops may be relevant to land managers.

Key facts

Type: Pest animal, bird.

Native to: Europe, North Africa and temperate Asia.

Established in: NSW, ACT, VIC, TAS, SA.

Other names: Eurasian skylark, Common skylark.

Best time to act: Survey in spring and summer when singing display flights make birds easier to detect, while avoiding disturbance of active ground nests.

Identification

  • A small, brown, ground-dwelling bird with heavily streaked upperparts and a pale underside.
  • The breast is streaked, and the head may show a short crest that can be raised.
  • In flight, look for pale outer tail feathers and a broad, relatively rounded outline.
  • Males often sing while circling high above open country, then descend with wings partly closed.
  • Look-alike: Australasian Pipits are also streaked and occur in open country, but tend to look slimmer and more upright, with a longer-looking tail.

Where it lives

In Australia it occurs in open grassland, pasture and agricultural country, particularly in south-eastern areas and Tasmania.

Why it matters

  • Skylarks feed on seeds and invertebrates, and may forage in paddocks and other managed open land.
  • They may take sown grain or other crop seed, creating a potential local concern for cropping operations.
  • Assess any crop or ecological impact at the site rather than assuming substantial damage.

How it spreads

  • Established populations spread through breeding and movement of birds between suitable open habitats.
  • Avoid moving or releasing live birds or eggs between sites.

Control methods

  • Confirm the identification and check state or territory wildlife and biosecurity requirements before taking action; permissions and rules can vary.
  • Where birds are affecting crops, reduce attractants such as spilled grain and use approved exclusion or deterrence methods.
  • Any trapping or lethal control should be undertaken only by authorised or appropriately trained people using methods permitted in the jurisdiction.
  • Monitor the site and repeat lawful measures as needed; report relevant pest concerns to the state or territory biosecurity agency.

Site hygiene and welfare

  • Keep stored seed and fodder secure, and clean up spilled grain around work areas to avoid providing a food source.
  • Do not transport or release live birds or eggs at another site.
  • Use methods set out in the national model codes of practice and standard operating procedures for the species.
  • Coordinate control with neighbours and the local government biosecurity plan, as isolated effort is quickly undone by reinvasion.

Classification by state

  • Australia (national): No national listing. Managed under state and territory law.
  • Queensland: Not prohibited or restricted. Not listed as prohibited or restricted matter in Queensland. Everyone must also take all reasonable and practical steps to minimise its risks (the general biosecurity obligation).
  • New South Wales: General biosecurity duty. Not prohibited matter in NSW. The general biosecurity duty applies: anyone dealing with it must prevent, eliminate or minimise the risk it poses.
  • Victoria: Not declared. Not declared under the Catchment and Land Protection Act 1994. Other Victorian laws may still apply.
  • South Australia: Declared animal. Declared animals have legal restrictions, which can cover keeping, moving, selling and releasing them, and landowners may be required to control them.
  • Western Australia: Declared pest (C1), prohibited. C1 Exclusion: to be kept out of WA, or out of the parts of WA where it is not established. Report any sighting to DPIRD. It must not be brought into WA (prohibited organism).
  • Tasmania: Not a declared pest. Not a declared pest or prohibited matter in Tasmania. Importing animals is still controlled by Biosecurity Tasmania.
  • Northern Territory: Prohibited entrant. Wildlife that is not native to the NT is a prohibited entrant, so you need an NT permit to bring it in or keep it. Report any wild sighting to the NT Government.
  • Australian Capital Territory: Not declared. Not declared under the Biosecurity Act 2023 (ACT). A general biosecurity duty still applies.

Legal obligations

Every state and territory places a duty on landholders and people working on land to prevent the spread of invasive species, such as the general biosecurity obligation in Queensland and the general biosecurity duty in New South Wales. Declarations and control requirements differ between states and local government areas, so check the current official list before work starts.

  • New South Wales: Biosecurity Act 2015 (NSW), administered by NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development
  • Australian Capital Territory: Biosecurity Act 2023 (ACT), administered by ACT Biosecurity
  • Victoria: Catchment and Land Protection Act 1994 (Vic), administered by Agriculture Victoria
  • Tasmania: Biosecurity Act 2019 (Tas), administered by Biosecurity Tasmania
  • South Australia: Landscape South Australia Act 2019 (SA), administered by the regional landscape board

Sources