Horned Lark

The Shore Lark , called the Horned Lark in North America, breeds across much of North America from the high Arctic south to the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, northernmost Europe and Asia and in the mountains of southeast Europe. There is also an isolated population on a plateau in Colombia. It is mainly resident in the south of its range, but northern populations of this passerine bird are migratory, moving further south in winter.

The Horned Lark is classified as Least Concern. Does not qualify for a more at risk category. Widespread and abundant taxa are included in this category.

The only true lark native to North America, the Horned Lark is a common, widespread bird of open country. More

The Shore Lark (Eremophila alpestris), called the Horned Lark in North America, breeds across much of North America from the high Arctic south to the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, northernmost Europe and Asia and in the mountains of southeast Europe. There is also an isolated population on a plateau in Colombia. It is mainly resident in the south of its range, but northern populations of this passerine bird are migratory, moving further south in winter. This is a bird of open ground. More

The prairie horned lark, because of its tendency to occupy the most barren regions as its home, interested me very early, for desultory observations of this bird were begun while still a boy in eastern Nebraska. The lark nests were found on the ridges of listed corn and an observation of a song still remains clear and trenchant. We were shocking wheat, hence it was mid-July, when a lark was seen climbing the air for his song. More

* Small, Brian (2002) The Horned Lark on the Isles of Scilly Birding World 15(3): 111-20 (discusses a possible Nearctic race bird on the Isles of Scilly in 2001) Gallery - E. a. More

Horned larks breeding in Alaska and Canada winter south as far as the Gulf of Mexico; populations from the tundras of Northern Europe migrate annually to wintering areas around the North Sea. FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET Feeds mainly on insects during breeding season, but takes more seeds during winter months. REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY Monogamous. Nest cup-shaped, frequently surrounded with pebbles. More

Breeding distribution of Horned Lark in the United States and southern Canada, based on Breeding Bird Survey data, 1985-1991. Scale represents average number of individuals detected per route per year. Map from Price, J., S. Droege, and A. Price. 1995. The summer atlas of North American birds. Academic Press, London, England. 364 pages. - Key to management is maintaining areas with short, sparse vegetation by burning, mowing, or grazing. More

Horned Lark which made light of the atrocious conditions and burrowed through the snow to reach grass seeds. When I posted the photos of this richly-coloured bird I noted that the only part of the supercilium that was yellow was just above the bill (the rear part being white) and wondered whether it was possible to assign this individual to a form or subspecies based on this particular characteristic. More

The Horned Lark has a large range, estimated globally at 10,000,000 square kilometers. Native to The Americas, Europe, and Asia, this bird prefers shrubland, grassland, and marine ecosystems. The global population of this bird is estimated at 140,000,000 individuals and does not show signs of decline that would necessitate inclusion on the IUCN Red List. For this reason, the current evaluation status of the Horned Lark is Least Concern. More

The Horned Lark is one of the earliest North American birds to begin nesting each year. Birds in the southern part of the range nest as early as late February. In the northern United States, nesting may get underway in March, although nests may fail after a heavy snowfall. The Horned Lark inhabits North America, northern Europe and Asia. Many subspecies are recognized based on the great variation in plumage. More

The Horned Lark starts returning to its breeding grounds in early March (some individuals will overwinter even in the northern Plains states). One of the earliest of the small birds to nest, Horned Lark nests with eggs have been found in Ontario and South Dakota as early as April. Horned LarkEremophila alpestris On open fields in winter, flocks of Horned Larks walk and run on the ground. If disturbed, the flock circles in swift, twisting flight, making soft lisping call notes. More

North American RangeThe Horned Lark is a small songbird with a dark facial mask and a dark breast band. The 'horns' are two little tufts of black feathers on the head. Horned Larks are found around the world, with a great number of subspecies. Three subspecies with distinct coloration and markings breed in Washington: the Streaked Horned Lark, the Pallid Horned Lark, and the Dusky Horned Lark. Horned Larks have reddish-brown upperparts streaked with dark brown, pale underparts, and a yellow face and breast. More

Horned Larks at higher latitudes usually have only one brood per season, although most others have 2 or more. Clutch size ranges from 2 to 5 eggs. Conservation Issues & Efforts: * Threats: This species faces two major threats to its breeding habitat. More

Horned Lark - Eremophila alpestris = Horned Lark series details Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Passeriformes Family: Alaudidae Genus: Eremophila Description Horned LarkThe horned lark is the only lark native to North America. It is 6-8 inches in length and has a wingspan of 12-13 inches. More

Horned lark, Eremophila alpestris Identification - Horned larks (Eremophila alpestris, Fig. 1) are ground-dwelling birds that are slightly larger than house sparrows. They are brown, with a yellowish face, black breast, black “whiskers,” and two small black “horns.” Their song is a high-pitched, sustained call given from the ground or high in the air. More

Horned lark was the twelfth most abundant nesting species on the study area, making up 3.0% of the total breeding bird numbers. Habitat: We found the highest mean nesting densities on upland prairie (6.2 pairs/km2), followed by wheat (2.5 pairs/km2), alfalfa (0.5 pairs/km2), corn (0.5 pairs/km2), and wet prairie (0.2 pairs/km2). The preference for nesting on barren grasslands by horned larks has long been observed (Hayden 1863; Bendire 1895). More

A Horned Lark photographed at Beech Hill in Rockport earlier this month Photo by Don Reimer Although we are somewhat familiar with Eastern Meadowlarks in our local agricultural fields, the Horned Lark is the only true lark species to inhabit North America. Meadowlarks are actually members of the blackbird family. Horned Larks are medium-sized brownish birds with a yellow throat (western populations have a white throat), distinctive black sideburns and a black bib. More

Horned larks have a smooth, soft tawny color on their backs with a light underside. These small birds prefer running to flying, but they will desperately take to the air to avoid oncoming cars, revealing their mostly-black tail in the process. On close inspection you may see a black bib and cheek patch and a soft yellow throat. Horned larks are named for the tiny "horns", or feather tufts that stand out on each side of the head. More

with truly amazing views of an adult Horned Lark scrabbling about in the snow for grass seeds. I’ve certainly never been so close to this species and it was a wonderful opportunity to really study one. It’s presumably one of the eastern North American races - perhaps alpestris? (globally there are about 36 races depending upon which authority you choose extending right the way across Europe, North Africa, Asia and North America, with one form also found in South America). More

When you see a male horned lark for the first time, you'll understand how this bird received its interesting common name. Male horned larks have two small "horns" that stick up on the top of the head. They aren't real horns, but actually two tufts of black feathers on each side of the head. The"horns" on the horned larkare an important characteristic to look for when making an identification. More

The horned lark is a small (16 - 20 cm) songbird named for its horn like feather tufts which are most often visible on male. They are easily distinguished by their dominant black lores, cheek patches, and breast patch. These contrast strikingly with the white to yellow eyebrow stripe, ear patches, and chin. Males are slightly larger and darker than females with color variations throughout North America relating to habitat moisture. More

* Shore Lark or Horned Lark, Eremophila alpestris * Temminck's Lark, Eremophila bilopha See also - * Lark Bunting * Lark Sparrow * Magpie-lark (Neither a lark nor a magpie, but a giant Monarch flycatcher) * Meadowlark * Titlark, a synonym for Meadow Pipit * Songlark More

The Horned Lark is a bird of open country with short vegetation, and it occurs over a very large range worldwide. Like many songbirds in this habitat it has flight songs which are used to delineate territories and attract mates. Winter flocks of Horned Larks can number in the hundreds. Female Horned Larks dig a nest cavity from the soil, or find natural depressions in which to place their nests. More

Horned lark Eremophila alpestris = - Click on the appropriate box for Trends/Graphs/Maps: - (Trend List) (Indices) (CBC Index) (Abundance Map) (CBC Map) (Trend Map) (Help Index) - Life History Groupings: Breeding Habitat:Grassland Nest Type:Open-cup nesting passerine Migration Status:Short distance migrant Nest Location:Ground-low nesting - Species Account: More

Horned Lark (Eremophila alpestris) is a local resident in higher altitudes of Himalayas. Larks are ground-dwelling birds with bland, yet cryptic plumage. Highly terrestrial, these birds shuffle along the ground rather than hop. Their slightly undulating flight is characterized by low, flowing swoops over open country. When flushed, they return to the ground, rarely alighting on trees or shrubs. Widespread and gregarious, Horned Larks form flocks in wide, open fields, tundra, grasslands, shores or gravel ridges. More

Description: The horned lark is a brownish ground bird that is larger than a sparrow, with long hind claws. The male has a black mustache, two small black horns (not always visible), and a black breast band. A splash of yellow is also present just above the eye and prominantly in the throat. In flight, overhead, the bird is mostly pale except for the black tail. More

The Horned Lark (Eremophila alpestris) is a nesting species across almost all of the United States and Canada. In winter the northern most nesting birds drop southward to some extent, but the bird still winters across the entire United States. The male on the immediate left and the female just below were both photographed at Bolivar Flats, Galveston Co., Texas, in March, 2001, with a Canon EOS 3 and EF 500mm F/4 L IS lens on Fuji Provia film. Scroll down for more photos. More