Horned Lark

Description:

Medium-sized lark with pale or dark brown upperparts and white underparts. Face and throat are pale yellow to white and mask, cap, and ear tufts are black. Tail is dark with white edges. Forages on ground, usually in open fields. Eats seeds, grains, insects and small mollusks.

Habitat:

The Sweetwater Marsh Unit of the San Diego Bay National Wildlife Refuge. The San Diego National Wildlife Refuge. Complex supports habitats as diverse as coastal marshes and uplands, chaparral, coastal sage scrub, oak woodland, freshwater marsh, rare vernal pool wetlands, and the incredible breeding and nesting grounds for a suite of migratory and resident bird species in south San Diego Bay. These refuges help conserve the rich biological diversity and quality of life for which the region is famous.

Notes:

The Horned Lark is the only member of the lark family that is native to the new world. These birds return to their birthplace after every migration (a characteristic known as philopatric). Because of this, local populations have adapted to the color of their habitat resulting in 15 distinct subspecies in the West.