Buffy above, with dark markings on the back and wings. Whitish below with a buffy wash and stippling on the breast. Legs and feet are pale pink. The face is largely unpatterned, giving a blank or gentle expression and large-eyed appearance.
Forages largely on the ground, out of sight among grasses, walking quickly and gleaning insects and seeds. Males perform a song-flight display while hovering over the territory, usually for bouts of a half-hour. Flocks form after breeding and during migration; wintering birds are usually solitary but sometimes found in small groups.
Nests in native mixed-grass prairie of the northern Great Plains and in lightly grazed rangeland and pasture. In migration and winter, uses similar habitats as well as some cropland and grassy fields.
sparrow-sized or smaller
