Italian Federation of Hunting e Ringing Limicoli Group they are the protagonists of a research that has resulted in publication in the international ornithological journal "Ringing & Migration". It is about "Masses, fat loads and estimated flight ranges of Skylarks Alauda arvensis captured during autumn migration in southern Italy“, A study conducted on a sample of almost 22500 larks caught and ringed in Volturno plain, in the province of Caserta.
In a nutshell, the work of Sergio Scebba, Michele Sorrenti and Maria Oliveri Del Castillo compared the weight, body fat deposits and sex of birds, in order to calculate the flight distances covered and the potential wintering areas of the population in transit in this area of Campania. It was thus understood that the transited larks have medium fat deposits in most cases, with a stop to regain energy, always in the form of subcutaneous fat.
There are no immediate repercussions as regards hunting, but research is essential to get to know the species better, taking into account the national management plan which is being prepared. The 22490 birds were captured between 1998 and 2015: only a small fraction of the specimens showed high fat scores (le classes 5 and 6 to be precise), as well as those without grease (class 0).