Bird name:

Lark Bunting

Calamospiza melanocorys

Order

PASSERIFORMES

Family

Sparrows (Emberizidae)

Code 4

LARB

Code 6

CALMEC

ITIS

179312

Breeding Location:

Prairies, shortgrass

Breeding Type:

Monogamous, Loose colonies, Some polygynous

Breeding Population:

Egg Color:

Pale blue or green blue, spotted with red brown

Number of Eggs:

3 - 7

Incubation Days:

11 - 12

Egg Incubator:

Female

Nest Material:

Grass, roots and other plant material., Lined with hair and plant down.

Migration:

Migratory

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General

Lark Bunting: Large sparrow, nearly black with large white wing patches, short, white-edged tail, and heavy, blue-gray bill. Winter male has streaked gray-brown upperparts, brown-streaked white underparts, buff-brown wash on flanks, black throat, white wing patches, and white-edged tail. Female and juvenile are duller and lack black throats.

Range and Habitat

Lark Bunting: Breeds on prairies of south-central Canada and central U.S. Spends winters in the southwest and Mexico. Found in shortgrass prairies, sagebrush flats, and open areas in the southeastern lowlands.

Breeding and Nesting

Lark Bunting: Three to seven pale blue or green eggs spotted with red brown are laid in a loose cup nest made of grass, roots, and other plant material, lined with hair and plant down, and built on the ground, usually sheltered by grass or a small bush. Incubation ranges from 11 to 12 days and is carried out by the female.

Foraging and Feeding

Lark Bunting: Feeds on insects, including grasshoppers, beetles, and ants, seeds, and waste grain. Walks or hops along the ground when foraging, often in flocks.

Readily Eats

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

Vocalization

Lark Bunting: Song is rich and warbling melody of full whistles and trills. Call is "hoo-ee."

Similar Species

Lark Bunting: Other sparrows lack the white wing patches. Bobolink has a dull white nape, white rump, and white back patches.

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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.

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