Horned Lark

Horned Lark, adult, male

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Horned Lark, juvenile, Colorado, July

Horned Lark, female at nest

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1. Description
2. Sound
3. Conservation Status
4. Other Names
5. Cool Facts
6. Full detailed species account

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

Description

• Small songbird.
• Pale brown back.
• Black chest patch.
• Black face patch.
• Yellow or pale throat.
• Small "horns" on top of head.

• Size: 16-20 cm (6-8 in)
• Wingspan: 30-34 cm (12-13 in)
• Weight: 28-48 g (0.99-1.69 ounces)

Sex Differences

Sexes similar, but female slightly smaller and duller.

Sound

Song a series of high, musical tinkling notes. Call a single or double-syllable notes, "weet" or "su-weet."

Conservation Status

Declining in most of range.

Other Names

Alouette hausse-col, L'Alouette cornue, Alouette bilophe (French)
Alondra cornuda (Spanish)
Shore Lark (British) (English)

Cool Facts

• Adult Horned Larks eat primarily weed and grass seeds, but they feed insects to their young.
• The use of mowed areas around airstrips has allowed the Horned Lark to colonize regions where no other suitable habitat may exist nearby, such as heavily forested areas.

Sources used to construct this page:

Beason, R. C. 1995. Horned Lark (Eremophila alpestris). In The Birds of North America, No. 195 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, and The American Ornithologists Union, Washington, D.C.