Horned Lark
Horned Lark
Adult male
- Medium-size, long-winged songbird
- Short, stubby bill
- Yellow face with black mask and "mustache" and black band at base of throat
- Black "horns" raised above crown by breeding males
- © Ken Schneider, IL, Kane County, March 2010
Horned Lark
Adult female
- Small, slender songbird with long, pointed wings
- Stubby bill
- Pale, sandy brown above, whitish below
- Faint yellow wash on face and black band on upper breast
- © Jim Farley, CA, Camp Pendleton, June 2011
Horned Lark
Adult male
- Medium size, stocky, long-winged songbird
- Short, stubby bill
- Yellow and black facial pattern more muted in winter
- Black band at base of throat contrasts with pale white underparts
- © Cameron Rognan, NY, Ovid, January 2009
Horned Lark
Adult female
- Small, stocky songbird
- Female shows pale yellow wash on face and faint streaks on breast
- Pale brown above with faint black collar at base of throat
- Short, stout gray bill
- © Ian Davies, MA, Hadley, February 2011
Horned Lark
Adult male
- Long-winged and stocky with squared-off tail
- Pale brown above, white below
- Black mask and "mustache" on pale yellow face
- Black band at base of throat
- © Jim Paris, PA, Arrowhead Road, Northhampton County, March 2009
Horned Lark
Adult female
- Small songbird with short, stubby bill
- Patterned in pale brown above
- Long wings
- Pale yellowish wash on face with black collar around upper breast
- © Tim Lenz, NY, Seneca Falls Fairgrounds, April 2010
Horned Lark
Adult male
- Stocky, long-winged songbird
- Square-off tail
- Pale brown above
- Golden face with black mask and "mustache" and black band on upper breast
- © Kurt Hasselman, NJ, Alpha, February 2010
Similar Species
Adult
- Similar to Horned Lark but more slender, with longer tail
- Longer, thinner, pointed bill
- Dark streaks on underparts
- Contrasting white throat
- © Dave Wendelken, Silver Lake, Rockingham County, VA, February 2010
Adult
- Stockier than Horned Lark and darker and more patterned overall
- Buffy wash on breast and belly
- Dark crown
- © Andy Johnson, Twin Lakes Rd, Churchill, MB, July 2011