Horned Lark

Photo by Stan Tekiela

by Stan Tekiela
© NatureSmart

July 22, 2024

The overall population of ground nesting birds is steadily going down. Here in North America, we have hundreds of bird species who nest directly on the ground. Prairie birds such as Eastern and Western Meadowlarks are a good example. If you are older than 50 you most likely remember hearing meadowlarks growing up but today, you don’t, because of the population of meadowlarks has dramatically declined. Meadowlarks are a ground nesting bird.

Other ground nesting prairie birds such as Bobolinks and Dickcissels are also on the decrease. These birds were once very common and abundant, however our current day agricultural practices, which in an attempt to squeeze every dollar from every inch of land, has led to a dramatic decline in their populations.

So, with this in mind, I was thrilled to have a friend tell me he had found a particular ground nesting bird that I had only once before had a chance to study and capture some images. This ground nesting bird is the Horned Lark (Eremophila alpestris). The Horned Lark is a member of the lark family and is found around the world in the northern hemisphere. It is our only true “lark” species in North America.

By all reports, the Horned Lark is classified as a “common bird in steep decline” just like all other ground nesting birds. The decline is attributed to loss of habitat, agricultural pesticides, early mowing or haying fields and roadside ditches, urbanization, human encroachment, and worst of all collisions with wind turbines. The Horned Lark is one of the species that has been impacted the most by the proliferation of wind turbines.

The name “horned” comes from a set of black feathers on the sides of the birds head that look like horns. The female also has them, but they are much less pronounced. Both the male and female are overall pale brown and grey with the male having a bold black and yellow face. The female is much duller. They have a black tail that really helps when you are trying to identify this bird when it is flying away from you.

The female builds the nest by first making a shallow depression in the ground. She then uses dried grass to weave a soft nest. After mating the female will lay 2-5 brown eggs with dark spots. They are one of the earliest ground nesting birds in the northern states. It is not uncommon for the pair to be done with their first brood by the end of April. This means sometimes the female gets covered in snow while incubating her eggs in some years.

So, when my friend told me about the Horned Lark nest, I jumped at the opportunity to capture some images and video. We picked a day when the sky was cloudy to give us even light on the subject. It is very important to not disturb nesting birds or to draw unwanted attention to the nest sight. Using camouflage covering to conceal ourselves and camera gear also helps.

So, when we approached the nest, I made sure we stayed far away and used my longest lens. Using a long lens is important to be able to capture natural behaviors and not disturb the birds. The parents were busy gathering insects in the surrounding fields. While the adults are out looking for insects the babies are perfectly camouflaged and remain motionless in the nest.

However, when one of the adults returns to the nest, in a blink of an eye, the babies pop up their heads, open their mouths wide, and start begging to be fed. It was amazing to spend some quality time with this nesting pair of Horned Larks and watch as they gather several insects in their bills and fly near the nest. They would carefully look around making sure there was no danger and slowly the parents would approach the nest on foot. As soon as the adults arrived at the edge of the nest the babies would again all pop up simultaneously to be fed.

After hatching, the young stay in the nest only 8 or so days before they leave the nest and start to walk around. The adults follow the young around and continue to feed them until they are able to fly. Even after they fly the male will continue to feed while the female builds a new nest, and the entire process starts over. Until next time…

Stan Tekiela is an author / naturalist and wildlife photographer who travels extensively to study and capture images of wildlife. He can be followed at www.instagram.com and www.facebook.com. He can be contacted at his website www.naturesmart.com.