Horned Lark

Horned larks occur across North America, northern Europe, and Asia. They occupy open landscapes with short or sparse vegetation, including tundra, grasslands, steppe, desert, farmland, and shorelines. Adults measure 18–20 centimetres and have wingspans of approximately 31–36 centimetres. Their most recognizable features are paired black feather tufts resembling horns, a pale yellow or white face crossed by dark markings, a black breast patch, brown body, black tail, and an elongated straight claw on the hind toe (Animal Diversity Web).

These ground-foraging omnivores walk across open terrain while searching for insects, spiders, ants, grasshoppers, wasps, snails, seeds, berries, and fruit. Outside the nesting season they often forage in flocks rather than alone. Horned larks reproduce seasonally and form monogamous pairs. They lay eggs that hatch into poorly developed young requiring extensive care. Some populations migrate during winter, while others remain in the same region throughout the year, depending on climate and local food availability (Animal Diversity Web).