The Horned Lark

Learn about 5 facts about the Horned Lark.

Welcome back to The Birder’s Way! I’m your host Caleb Shingleton. Before you read through the rest of this post I’d really appreciate if you would subscribe to my Substack that way you get an email when I post. Just hit the little orange button down below to subscribe :).

Let’s learn 5 facts about the Horned Lark (Eremophila alpestris).

1. The Horned Lark is a small, long-bodied songbird. It has a pale face with a black face mask and breast band. It has brown underbelly and white underparts.

2. The Horned Lark likes a habitat that offers bare ground, or short vegetation. They can be found in treeless landscapes, because they like bare ground and short vegetation. They also like these types of locations or habitats: prairies, deserts, tundra, beaches, dunes, and also heavy grazed pastures, mostly across North America.

3. The Horned Lark is an official state bird to the following states: Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, and Oregan. That was a total of 5 states that claim the Horned Lark as their official state bird. I find it pretty interesting that it is an official state bird to only 5 states.

4. According to Birds of the World, major causes of death to the Horned Lark are due to predation and human activities, especially agricultural operations. The global population is almost certainly very large, but there is little data to prove that. Some North American subspecies also have small ranges and populations, although trends across the continent appear stable (which is very good in my view).

5. The Horned Lark mostly feeds on insects and seeds (just like most birds feed on). They will feed their nestlings mostly insects, which provides them with protein and nutrients. The types of insects they mostly eat are: grasshoppers, beetles, and caterpillars. Chicks can also be fed invertebrates such as: sowbugs and earthworms.

Here is a photo of a Horned Lark (Eremophila alpestris):

Photo by James Tornetta on eBird

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