Horned Lark Eremophila alpestris
STANFORD LOCATIONS: This ground-nester is an uncommon resident in grasslands at the Dish, occasionally foraging in the dry bed of Lagunita in fall, before it is filled by winter rains.

Nest Location	Nest Type	Eggs Mating System	Dev. Parental Care	Primary & 2ndary Diet	Foraging Strategy
			F I: 11-12 DAYS ALTRICIAL
	F	3-4 (2-5) MONOG	F: 9-12 DAYS MF	INSECTS

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BREEDING:	Open country, tundra, grassland, agricultural areas. 1 brood in n, 2 (3?) in s.
DISPLAYS:	Male performs elaborate song-flight: rises to 800', circles, then dives to ground with wings folded. Male struts before female with erect horns and drooped wings.
NEST:	In shallow depression, lined with roots, grass, plant down, hair, often with rim of pebbles or dirt clods on most exposed side. Female selects nest site.
EGGS:	Variable, gray, greenish, heavily speckled with brown. 0.8" (22 mm).
DIET:	Includes spiders, snails; grass and forb seeds.
CONSERVATION:	Winters s to S.A. Uncommon cowbird host. Adoption of farm fields for breeding has greatly increased numbers and expanded range eastward since 1800, although farming operations destroy many nests.
NOTES:	Female may fly low and far from nest when intruder detected, or perform fluttering distraction display if intruder is close. Female renests ca. 7 days after brood fledges. Juveniles form postbreeding flocks. Winter flocks, often immense, occ with Snow Buntings, Lapland Longspurs.
ESSAYS:	Bathing and Dusting; Walking vs. Hopping; Distraction Displays; Range Expansion; Mixed-Species Flocking.
REFERENCES:	Beason and Franks, 1974; Hurley and Franks, 1976; Wiens et al., 1986.

Help	Abbreviations	Species-Alphabetical	Species-Taxonomic	Essays-Alphabetical	Essays-Categorized
Except for Stanford Locations, the material in this species treatment is taken, with permission, from The Birder's Handbook (Paul Ehrlich, David Dobkin, & Darryl Wheye, Simon & Schuster, NY. 1988).