This winter, as you drive through the INL, you might notice flocks of small brownish birds congregating along the sides of the roads.  As your car approaches the group they may flush from the roadsides, circle overhead until your car has passed, and land behind you to resume their foraging.  These winter residents are horned larks, the most abundant bird of the INL.

Horned larks have a smooth, soft tawny color on their backs with a light underside. These small birds prefer running to flying, but they will desperately take to the air to avoid oncoming cars, revealing their mostly-black tail in the process. On close inspection you may see a black bib and cheek patch and a soft yellow throat.   Horned larks are named for the tiny "horns", or feather tufts that stand out on each side of the head.

The Horned Lark is the only member of the lark family native to the New World.   Its range extends from the Arctic to South America.  Horned larks from further north migrate south to the INL for the winter; INL also has a  year-round population, though they may move to lower elevations during cold periods.

Males begin to establish territories in January.   In its courtship flight, the male horned lark quietly ascends high above the ground and begins a high-pitched, tinkling flight song as it circles. When the song ends, the lark drops headfirst, with closed wings, waiting until it almost crash-lands, before opening its wings and pulling out of the dive.  Monogamous pair bonds are formed. The female selects the nesting site, which is generally on bare ground. She spends a day or two digging a small depression in the ground using her bill and feet.   A few days later, she weaves a nest in this cavity using grasses and roots, and then lines it with soft materials. The female incubates her clutch of three or four eggs for about twelve days. The young are born naked and blind, and both parents feed the hatchlings. The chicks leave the nest after approximately nine to twelve days.

Horned Larks prefer grasslands and other open habitats with low, sparse vegetation.  During the annual Breeding Bird Survey in June of 2002, the total number of Horned Larks counted on the INL was 34% above average.  The recent increase is not surprising as Horned Lark are a dominant component of grasslands on the INL, and fires in recent years (particularly in 2000) have converted large areas of sagebrush to grasslands.

Few of the birds that can be seen on the INL during the spring, summer or fall stay through the long, cold Idaho winter. Most of the birds head for warmer locations.   But driving along the INL roads in the coldest conditions, you may still come across a flock of these tough and intrepid little birds pecking along the roadside as if it were a comfortable day.