Breeding Location:
Grassland with scattered trees
Breeding Type:
Monogamous, Solitary nester
Breeding Population:
Egg Color:
Gray or green with brown spots
Number of Eggs:
2 - 5
Incubation Days:
11 - 12
Egg Incubator:
Female
Nest Material:
Grasses, Lined with feathers and soft materials.
Migration:
Migratory
Recommended Products:
General
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. Sexes are similar. Juvenile has white-spotted brown upperparts, head and face, white eyebrow, no ear tufts, and white underparts with faintly spotted breast.
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.
Breeding and 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.
Foraging and Feeding
Horned Lark: Eats mostly seeds, insects, and small mollusks; forages in agricultural areas, often standing and walking on roadways.
Vocalization
Horned Lark: Sings a series of bell-like, tinkling notes "pit-wee,pit-wee,pit-wee", given from ground or in high circling flight. Call is a "tsee-tete" or "zeet."
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.
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