4 min readFor the past 15 years, birding obsessives have anxiously anticipated the American Birding Association’s annual announcement of its Bird of the Year. The program, which kicked off in 2011 with the noble American Kestrel, bestowed a scrappy little sweetie called the Horned Lark with its lofty title last month.
While this fine-feathered friend is sure to be familiar to wildlife experts (though he isn’t quite as common as, say, an American Robin), we thought newbie bird watchers might appreciate a rundown of what to know about the Bird of the Year. Because it turns out there’s much more to the Horned Lark than the admittedly funny-looking protrusions for which he’s named.
By the way, those aren’t actually horns at all. Take a closer look at this bird, and you’ll see that they’re small, black feathers that stick up on both sides of his head, almost like an avian version of a double cowlick.
Said to range in size from as big as a robin down to as small as a sparrow, this species boasts an appealing yellow face with a black mask to go with those ridiculously charming “horns.” (Females and juveniles are drabber than males.)
Where do Horned Larks live?
According to the ABA, the Horned Lark, which includes some 40 subspecies, can be found around the world, on five continents. That includes here in the United States, where they nest on the ground in their largely open habitat, making themselves right at home in environments as varied as fields, beaches, deserts, prairies, lake flats, tundras, and even golf courses.
The Horned Lark’s territory ranges from sea level to elevations as high as 13,000 feet throughout the entire lower 48 states, with many populations remaining year-round residents. This surprisingly adaptable and resilient bird is a homegrown hero—he’s the only lark native to North America.
While the Horned Lark is still widespread, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology notes that the bird’s population has been in sharp decline over the last 50 years. With development encroaching ever more into this species’ favored fallow field nesting grounds, habitat loss is believed to be the primary cause of the dwindling numbers. (Though the bird still numbers at a hefty 140 million, according to Audubon.) The conservation challenges facing the Horned Lark are one reason why he was chosen as Bird of the Year, along with what the ABA calls his “admirable qualities” and beauty.
How can I see Horned Larks?
Look for this species foraging for seeds in flocks along barren wintertime fields—the Cornell Lab calls them “roughly the same color and size as a clod of dirt.” (In summer, insects, spiders, snails, and even berries may make up half of the Horned Lark’s diet.) You’ll probably be able to spot this songbird walking or running on bare ground, and perhaps turning his appealing little black-and-yellow face toward you. When disturbed, the flock will rise swiftly, in twisting flight, sometimes calling out with their high-pitched, tinkling ti-ti song, which they also sing in the hours before dawn.
The Horned Lark is quite social in the cold-weather months, when he may form flocks hundreds of individuals strong with other similar songbirds, such as the Snow Bunting and Lapland Longspur. In early spring, the bird begins nesting in these same fields, and within a few months has turned downright grumpy, with the ABA terming the species “often solitary and fiercely territorial in the summer.” The way the males defend their territory, however, doesn’t seem especially aggressive: they sing at intruders, either on the ground or while in flight.
How do Horned Larks nest?
Female Horned Larks are the nest builders in the family, making their home in a slight depression on the ground, often next to an object like a clump of grass. The nest, which is lined with grass, roots, and other organic plant matter, usually features a “paved” area on one side that the female builds from items such as pebbles and dirt clods. It resembles a little doorstep or walkway, although it’s not used in this way, and even experts are unsure of its purpose.
When females are ready to mate, they perform a courting display that looks like they’re taking a dust bath. Assuming it works, she will produce two to five pale gray or greenish-white fertilized eggs, which hatch in 10 to 12 days. Dad and mom both feed the babies, and the littles leave the nest as soon as nine days after hatching. In the more southerly reaches of their territory, the Horned Lark may have as many as three broods per year.
For more information about this species or to purchase some absolutely delightful Horned Lark merchandise (squeeee!!), visit the American Birding Association website.
