CR

Raso Lark

Alauda razae

Stable

Overview

The Raso lark is a small passerine bird with a highly restricted range, being found only on Raso islet in the Cape Verde Islands. This critically endangered member of the family Alaudidae lives in very arid terrain, and is considered one of the least known birds in the Western Palaearctic region, due to its remoteness and the lack of much ornithological study on the archipelago as a whole.

The Raso Lark faces severe threats from its extremely restricted range on a single small island in Cape Verde, making it vulnerable to catastrophic events. Introduced predators, particularly cats, pose a significant threat to ground-nesting birds. Habitat degradation from overgrazing by introduced goats and drought conditions further compress the already limited suitable breeding areas on Raso Island.

Threat summary

Habitat

The Raso Lark inhabits the arid, sparsely vegetated landscapes of Raso Island in the Cape Verde archipelago. It occupies flat areas with scattered low shrubs and grasses, typically in areas with minimal vegetation cover suitable for ground-foraging and nesting.

Wetlands (inland) - Permanent rivers/streams· majorDesert· majorMarine neritic· major

Conservation measures underway

Site/area protectionSpecies recoveryAwareness & communicationsCompliance and enforcement

Other threatened species in ALAUDIDAE

VU

Red Lark

Calendulauda burra

Declining
EN

Sharpe's Lark

Mirafra sharpii

Declining
Liben LarkCR

Liben Lark

Heteromirafra archeri

Declining
Botha's LarkEN

Botha's Lark

Spizocorys fringillaris

Declining

Threatened in Cape Verde

VU

Trindade Petrel

Pterodroma arminjoniana

Stable
VU

Desertas Petrel

Pterodroma deserta

Stable
CR

Withania chevalieri

Unknown
Blind SnailVU

Blind Snail

Cecilioides acicula

Unknown

Frequently asked questions

Why is Raso Lark classified as Critically Endangered?
Raso Lark is classified as Critically Endangered — facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild — because population sizes are very small, declining sharply, or restricted to a tiny range. The Raso Lark faces severe threats from its extremely restricted range on a single small island in Cape Verde, making it vulnerable to catastrophic events. Introduced predators, particularly cats, pose a significant threat to ground-nesting birds. Habitat degradation from overgrazing by introduced goats and drought conditions further compress the already limited suitable breeding areas on Raso Island.
Where does Raso Lark live?
Raso Lark occurs in Cape Verde. Country-level distribution data is sourced from the IUCN Red List and cross-referenced with GBIF occurrences.
What are the main threats to Raso Lark?
The main threats to Raso Lark are 11.1, 11.2, 8.1, and ai-1. The full IUCN-classified threat record for this species is detailed on the species page.

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