Lark Bunting

Lark Bunting

Calamospiza melanocorys

Also known as: Prairie Finch

Predict Sightings

About This Species

A grassland bird of the North American Great Plains, most conspicuous in the breeding season when black males with a bold white wing patch perform a fluttering song flight above open prairie. Outside the breeding season it forms large, nomadic flocks that forage on the ground for seeds and insects, often far from where they bred. Native shortgrass and mixed-grass prairie in late spring gives the best chance of seeing the display flight.

Ethical Viewing Guidelines

  • Breeding pairs nest on the ground in open grassland, so walking through prairie during nesting season risks flushing birds or exposing nests to predators, and staying on established tracks is the safer approach.
  • Large nonbreeding flocks are more tolerant of distant observation from a vehicle or trail than of a direct approach on foot.
LCAvesPasseriformesPasserellidae

Seasonal Activity

153,360 sightings · 2000–2026

Citizen science records via GBIF

All monthsThis month

Classification

Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Chordata
Class
Aves
Order
Passeriformes
Family
Passerellidae

Photo

Wikimedia Commons / Wikimedia Commons

CC-BY-SA-4.0

Occurrence data from GBIF.