Horned Lark ––A masked alpine songster with horns
MALE HORNED LARK – A male horned lark is showing the spiky feather tufts on the top of his head, which give these larks their name.
Story and photos by Kate Persons
Alpine tundra is among my favorite habitats, and there I’m always on the lookout for a favorite bird—the horned lark. With the face of an elfin, black-masked bandit and black feather tufts that can be raised like horns, this is a charismatic but seldom seen bird.
The horned lark can be found all around the northern hemisphere in a variety of sparsely vegetated habitats, preferably where the plants grow no more than a couple of inches tall.
On the Seward Peninsula the first horned larks arrive in late April or early May. They spread out across the peninsula to breed where the ground cover is a mix of alpine tundra and rocky soil. This habitat is found mostly in the uplands and foothills of the higher mountains, and also above exposed coastal cliffs.
Aside from their sharply marked face, which is often hidden near the ground as they feed, these birds can be very hard to spot. Their bodies are cryptically colored to match the ground, and often it is their tinkling song that gives away the presence of North America’s only lark.
Horned larks return to breed in the same area where they were born (philopatry). Due to this trait, local populations evolve feather coloration to match their surrounding habitat. This has resulted in the emergence of 42 separate subspecies worldwide; 21 are in North America.
In spring, males sing and perform energetic aerial displays and flight songs to establish territories and lure a mate. Standing proudly with horns erect, the male launches steeply and silently hundreds of feet into the air, then spreads his wings and tail to flutter, glide or hang in the wind amidst tinkling song. Eventually, he closes his wings and plummets towards the earth, opening his wings for a brake just before landing. Females and bird lovers are impressed!
FEMALE HORNED LARK – A female horned lark looks up while foraging in the tundra. Her markings are similar to the males, but less bold. She too has feather tufts on her head, but they are smaller and she seldom raises them.
Monogamous pairs form for the season and sometimes longer. The female selects a nest site on the ground, often near a clump of higher vegetation or a rock. She may pick a natural depression or create a nest bowl herself. Using her bill, she loosens and flips the soil aside, or she may kick it away with her feet. She then weaves a nest of grass and other plant material and lines it with down, fur, feathers or fine plant fibers.
The female often places an assortment of small rocks or other items from her surroundings on one side of the nest. Here, chunks of lichen are sometimes used. These are called “pavings,” and their purpose is uncertain. They may hide the freshly dug dirt that could attract predators. Or they may be used to secure fine nesting material during nest building.
INCUBATION – A female horned lark is sitting almost invisibly in her nest on an alpine tundra ridge. The female incubates the eggs and broods the newly hatched nestlings while the male defends their territory and helps feed the young.
The female lays and incubates four to five eggs for 11 to 12 days, then broods the helpless, newly-hatched chicks to keep them warm. The chicks leave the nest nine to ten days after they hatch, when their flight feathers are not even half grown. They have almost no tail and cannot fly.
The male defends the territory, and both parents feed the young from hatch until they are independent and able to fly in about three weeks.
NEST – A horned lark nest with four eggs is nestled in alpine tundra. The nest is next to a rock, which provides some protection on this barren alpine ridge. The female wove this nest of grass and lined it with fuzzy plant fibers. Often an assortment of small rocks or other items from the surroundings are placed along one side of the nest. Here, chunks of lichen were used. These are called “pavings,” and their purpose is unknown. In this case, they certainly do blend the nest into its surroundings.
Egg-eating predators as small as shrews and voles are a threat to ground nesting birds such as horned larks. A nesting female is secretive and stealthy. If she senses a threat, she may sneak away from the nest, flying silently, close to the ground, and return only when danger is past. If danger is close, she may flutter dramatically to attract attention, then walk or fly away with the predator in pursuit.
Horned larks search for food while walking or running over the ground, often keeping a very low, horizonal profile. Adults and juveniles eat seeds, berries and insects. Nestlings are fed only insects because they need a high protein diet for growth.
Pre-migratory flocks of adults begin forming in late July. Some horned larks leave the region in August, but most stay until September and are gone by the end of the month.
In winter the Alaska subspecies migrates to grasslands and agricultural areas from interior British Columbia to northern California, and east to Wyoming.
Horned larks are social birds outside of the breeding season. They often join large mixed flocks with other grassland species that also breed in this region, including Lapland longspurs, snow buntings, tree sparrows and dark-eyed juncos.
Horned larks are still numerous, but have declined by 64 percent between 1966 and 2019. They are listed as a Common Bird in Steep Decline.
Their decline is attributed largely to habitat loss, especially the loss of agricultural lands to development. Pesticides also contribute by killing insects that horned larks and other grassland species need for food, and which sometimes can kill the birds themselves.
I am grateful that these delightful, musical birds still can be seen and enjoyed in the alpine tundra habitats of this region where I roam.