Measurements
Both Sexes
- Length
- 6.3–7.9 in
16–20 cm - Wingspan
- 11.8–13.4 in
30–34 cm - Weight
- 1–1.7 oz
28–48 g
Other Names
- Shore Lark (British)
- Alouette hausse-col, L'Alouette cornue, Alouette bilophe (French)
- Alondra cornuda (Spanish)
Cool Facts
- Adult Horned Larks eat primarily weed and grass seeds, but they feed insects to their young.
- The use of mowed areas around airstrips has allowed the Horned Lark to colonize regions where no other suitable habitat may exist nearby, such as heavily forested areas.
Habitat
Grassland
Open, barren country. Prefers bare ground to short grasses.
Food
Seeds
Seeds, some insects.
Nesting
Nesting Facts
- Clutch Size
- 2–5 eggs
- Egg Description
- Pale gray with brown spots.
- Condition at Hatching
- Helpless and covered in buffy down.
Nest Description
Nest a basket woven of fine grass or other plant materials, lined with finer material, placed in depression or cavity in ground.
Nest Placement
Ground
Behavior
Ground Forager
Conservation
Least Concern
Declining in most of range.
Credits
- Beason, R. C. 1995. Horned Lark (Eremophila alpestris). In The Birds of North America, No. 195 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, and The American Ornithologists Union, Washington, D.C.