Bird name:

Lark Sparrow

Chondestes grammacus

Order

PASSERIFORMES

Family

Sparrows (Emberizidae)

Code 4

LASP

Code 6

CHOGRA

ITIS

179371

Breeding Location:

Bushes, shrubs, and thickets, Grasslands

Breeding Type:

Monogamous, Loose colonies, Some polygamous

Breeding Population:

Egg Color:

White to pale gray with brown and black markings

Number of Eggs:

3 - 6

Incubation Days:

11 - 12

Egg Incubator:

Female

Nest Material:

Sticks, grass, and forbs., Lined with rootlets and grasses.

Migration:

Migratory

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General

Lark Sparrow: Medium-sized sparrow with streaked, gray-brown upperparts and buff underparts with black breast spot. Head has black, white, and chestnut-brown stripes. Tail is long and black with white edges. Sexes are similar. Juvenile is duller and has streaked breast.

Range and Habitat

Lark Sparrow: Breeds from British Columbia, Saskatchewan, and northern Minnesota, south to California, northern Mexico, Louisiana, and Alabama. Spends winters from southern California to Florida and southward. Preferred habitats include grasslands, semi-open scrublands, agricultural areas, sagebrush and pinyon-juniper woodlands in lowlands and foothills.

Breeding and Nesting

Lark Sparrow: Three to six white to pale gray eggs marked with brown and black are laid on the ground or low in a bush or tree in a bulky cup nest made of sticks, grass, and forbs, and lined with rootlets and grass. Incubation ranges from 11 to 12 days and is carried out by the female.

Foraging and Feeding

Lark Sparrow: Eats seeds, grasshoppers, and other insects; forages on the ground and low in trees and shrubs, usually in flocks, even during breeding season.

Readily Eats

Safflower, Apple Slices, Suet, Millet, Peanut Kernels, Fruit

Vocalization

Lark Sparrow: Song is a long, pleasant, bubbling melody that consists of short trills, buzzes, pauses, and clear notes. Call is a metallic "tik", given in flight.

Similar Species

Lark Sparrow: None in range.

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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

Underparts

Belly, undertail coverts, chest, flanks, and foreneck.

Upperparts

Back, rump, hindneck, wings, and crown.

Breast

The upper front part of a bird.

4 and 6 letter alpha codes

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

Field Guide to Birds of North America