Lark Bunting
Calamospiza melanocorys
Also known as: Prairie Finch
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.