Lark Bunting

Lark Bunting, breeding male; Pawnee Natl. Grasslands, CO

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Lark Bunting, adult female; Pawnee Natl. Grasslands, CO

Lark Bunting, non-breeding male; Tucson, AZ

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

A common sparrow of the Great Plains, the male Lark Bunting is distinctive with its black body and white wings. It is the only sparrow that changes completely out of a bright breeding plumage into a drab winter one.

Description

• Small songbird; medium-sized sparrow.
• Short, thick, bluish bill.
• Large white patch in wings.
• Relatively short tail with white tips to feathers.
• Breeding male all black with white wings.
• Female and nonbreeding male grayish brown and heavily striped.

• Size: 14-18 cm (6-7 in)
• Wingspan: 28 cm (11 in)
• Weight: 30-51 g (1.06-1.8 ounces)

Sex Differences

Breeding male black with white wings, female dull gray and white striped.

Sound

Song a complex series of repeated, rich, whistled phrases interspersed with rattles and trills.

Conservation Status

Populations fluctuate widely in any given area, but overall populations appear to be declining.

Other Names

Bruant noir et blanc (French)
Gorrión cañero, Gorrión alipálido, Llanero alipálido (Spanish)

Cool Facts

• Immature Lark Buntings flock together and stay on the breeding grounds longer than do adults.
• The Lark Bunting often comes to drink out of water tanks provided for livestock. While the water may be helpful, the tank can be a dangerous place. Large numbers of buntings often drown in the tanks, especially in those containing mats of algae. Domestic cats also hunt there; one cat in Kansas caught 17 Lark Buntings in one day.

Sources used to construct this page:

Shane, T. G. 2000. Lark Bunting (Calamospiza melanocorys). In The Birds of North America, No. 542 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.