How to Identify aLark Sparrow
Chondestes grammacus · 5.9–6.7 in (15–17 cm)
Male vs. female
Male
Chestnut ear patch and crown stripes over a white face, a black moustache, a single dark chest spot and broad white tail corners. Sexes look alike.
Female
Identical to the male in the field.
Male photo: www.naturespicsonline.com / Wikimedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Second photo: Andrew C / Wikimedia, CC BY 2.0
Field marks
- Bold chestnut-black-white harlequin face pattern
- Single dark spot on a clean white chest
- Rounded tail with wide white corners
- Larger and longer-tailed than most sparrows
Similar species
What it sounds like
A varied musical song of clear notes, buzzes and trills separated by pauses.
Behaviour that gives it away
The male struts with wings drooped and tail spread like a tiny turkey, and passes a twig to the female during courtship.
Habitat & range
Open country with scattered bushes, prairie edges, farmland and desert grassland.
When you'll see it
A summer visitor that arrives to breed in central, western and southwestern North America.
What it eats
Seeds and grasshoppers taken from the ground.
Did you know?
It often lays its eggs in nests abandoned by mockingbirds or thrashers rather than always building its own.
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