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Horned Lark

Eremophila alpestrisOrder: PASSERIFORMES Family: Larks (Alaudidae)
Codes: Common Name: HOLA Scientific Name: EREALP ITIS Taxonomic No.: 178402
Least Concern
 
Horned Lark (enthymia) Breeding Male
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Birdman Mel's Backyard Tips
Jelly Jar Jelly Feeder
The orange "blossum" replaces the lid of a jelly jar.
Attract Orioles with Fruit
Sliced orange secures easily to the center of the ring. Low cost.
Attract with Nectar
Hex shaped nectar feeds several Orioles. Nectar kept in fridge.
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Lovely copper umbrella keeps fruit cool and looks great.

Overview

Horned Lark: Medium-sized lark with pale or dark brown upperparts and white underparts. Face and throat are pale yellow to white and mask, cap, and ear tufts are black. Tail is dark with white edges. Forages on ground, usually in open fields. Eats seeds, grains, insects and small mollusks.

Range and Habitat

Horned Lark: Breeds in Alaska and Canadian Arctic, coastal Canada, and south throughout all of the U.S. except southeast. Spends winters from southern Canada southward; also found in Eurasia. Preferred habitats include plains, fields, airports, and beaches.

Topo Map: Perching-like Body


Listen to Call

Voice Text

"pit-wit,wee-pit,pit-wee", "tsee-tete", "zeet"

Interesting Facts

 The Horned Lark is the only member of the lark family that is native to the new world.

 They are early nesters with nests found in February even in the northern states.

 These birds return to their birthplace after every migration (a characteristic known as philopatric). Because of this, local populations have adapted to the color of their habitat resulting in 15 distinct subspecies in the West.

 A group of larks has many collective nouns, including an "ascension", "chattering", "exaltation", "happiness", and "springul" of larks.


Bird Term Glossary



Author

Gary Owen Dick

Artist

Irina Rud-Volga

Splitbar
Range Map for Horned Lark

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Family Larks (Alaudidae)_blue
Species Eremophila alpestris
Length7 - 8 Inches
Wingspan13.25 Inches

Horned Lark

Horned Lark: Medium-sized lark with pale or dark brown upperparts and white underparts. Face and throat are pale yellow to white and mask, cap, and ear tufts are black. Tail is dark with white edges. Forages on ground, usually in open fields. Eats seeds, grains, insects and small mollusks.

● Song: "pit-wit,wee-pit,pit-wee", "tsee-tete", "zeet"

● Foraging & Feeding: Horned Lark: Eats mostly seeds, insects, and small mollusks; forages in agricultural areas, often standing and walking on roadways.

● Breeding & nesting: Horned Lark: Two to five gray or green eggs spotted with brown are laid in a nest made of grass lined with feathers and soft materials and built in a shallow depression, natural or dug by the female. Incubation ranges from 11 to 12 days and is carried out mostly by the female.

● Similar species: Horned Lark: American Pipit has gray upperparts, brown-streaked white underparts, dark gray-brown tail with white outer tail feathers, and lacks horns and black bib.

Flight Pattern

After each wing beat folds wing feathers close to body.
Horned Lark (enthymia) Breeding Male Body Illustration
● Range & Habitat: Horned Lark: Breeds in Alaska and Canadian Arctic, coastal Canada, and south throughout all of the U.S. except southeast. Spends winters from southern Canada southward; also found in Eurasia. Preferred habitats include plains, fields, airports, and beaches.
BreedingMonogamous, Solitary nester
Population
MigrationMigratory
Weight1.1 Ounces
Perching-like BodyX
UnderpartsX
Belly, undertail coverts, chest, flanks, and foreneck.
UpperpartsX
Back, rump, hindneck, wings, and crown.
CapX
The area on top of the head of the bird.
FaceX
The front part of the head consisting of the bill, eyes, cheeks and chin.
4 and 6 letter alpha codesX

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.

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ITIS CodesX

The Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) was established in the mid-1990�s as a cooperative project among several federal agencies to improve and expand upon taxonomic data (known as the NODC Taxonomic Code) maintained by the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

To find the ITIS page for a bird species go to the ITIS web site advanced search and report page at http://www.itis.gov/advanced_search.html. You can enter the TSN or the common name of the bird. It will return the ITIS page for that bird. Another way to obtain the ITIS page is to use the Google search engine. Enter the string ITIS followed by the taxonomic ID, for example "ITIS 178041" will return the page for the Allen's Hummingbird.

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Parts of a Standing birdX
Head Feathers and MarkingsX
Parts of a Flying birdX