A couple years ago, this column dismantled the widely-held belief that robins are a sign of spring, exposing it for what it is – a myth. Those red-breasted birds are with us all winter, just in lesser numbers and hidden from view for most of us.
That left some people wondering just what do I consider to be the first sign of
spring?
There are many.
One of them has to be the rather strange, even
dangerous, mating ritual of the horned lark.
What is a horned lark?
The horned lark is the New World’s only true lark, which is amazing given that
there are 90 species of larks in the Eastern Hemisphere.
It is a rather small, ground dwelling bird. Coming in at 7 or 8 inches, it’s
not much larger than a sparrow (although more streamlined and less chubby in
appearance). From a distance — which is normally how they are observed since
they are rather skittish — they appear just as plain as sparrow, a drab light
brown.
But, when you look at them through field glasses,
you are in for a surprise. Larks are actually quite attractive.
They have a black stripe through the eye, a black crescent on the upper chest,
and two black horns (which are really feathers) that account for their name.
Mixed in between those wisps of black are facial and forehead colorations that
range from ghost white to bright yellow.
Where do they live?
Larks can be found all year long in large, open fields. They prefer mostly
barren habitats; that is, they like the ground to be plant-free or having
plants shorter than 3 inches in height. So, as crops and weeds get too tall,
they will vacate the area, moving on to other fields, only to return once a
field is plowed. From my experiences, they’re most abundant in hay, alfalfa,
and winter wheat fields.
In the winter months, you will see them in especially large flocks of 12 to 30
birds, often frequenting roadsides in the snowiest of times as plowing exposes
the seeds they need from plants along the road’s shoulder. From now till July,
they will be in flocks of 6 birds or fewer, which is typically a family.
What is the status of the horned lark?
Horned larks can be relatively common in eastern Niagara, Orleans, Genesee, and
Wyoming Counties. In Allegany County, they remain uncommon -- the most recent
Breeding Bird Atlas shows them nesting in just six observation blocks across
the county. As for the rest of that state, their numbers have really plummeted.
Since 1966, their population has been in a freefall in the Empire State –
declining 2.9% per year. This is due to the de-emphasis of farming in certain
areas of the state and the reforestation of farms, which takes away the larks’
habitat. Nationally, their numbers have decreased by 62 percent since 1966.
Because of that, horned larks are a species of special concern in New York
State, the third-in-line category when it comes to assessing the health of an
animal’s population in the state. Species of special concern warrant attention
and consideration but current information, collected by the Department of
Environmental Conservation, does not justify listing these species as either
endangered or threatened.
I’ve always approached such rankings for this and other grassland birds with a
little trepidation. Wide open grasslands did not exist in any volume across
upstate New York before the Europeans came; the area was just a gigantic
forest. The larks came to be in this region because of Man. They weren’t
naturally occurring. So, is Mother Nature only seeking her preferred equilibrium
now?
When do they breed?
Horned Larks have the unique distinction of being New York’s earliest nesting
songbird. They nest in late-February and March, even when snow covers half of
the fields on which they build their nests.
Since March storms are occasional occurrences, horned larks compensate for Old
Man Winter’s ruination of early batches of eggs and/or decimation of hatchlings
by having up to 3 broods a year. They breed so early in the year that most
young birds have left the nest by the time the first plows come around.
What about that mating ritual?
The mating ritual mentioned at the beginning of this article is bizarre and
death-defying.
The male horned lark will rocket high into the air, 500 to 800 feet up. While
ascending, he will sing a rather neat tinkling or bubbling song. Once that
song stops, he brings his wings into his body and goes into total freefall.
Since his wings are not out to slow down his fall, gravity will have full
effect and he will fall at incredible speeds, speeds at which you’ve never seen
a bird move.
As you watch this, you think that the bird is going to die by splatting on the
ground. But he doesn’t ... when he’s mere feet from the ground he will spread
his wings, instantly right himself, and land on his feet rather softly. I’ve
seen this many times and I still don’t know how they do it.
Probably happy that he didn’t die and proud that he could impress his potential
mate, the male horned lark then puffs out his chest and saunters around the
female with both of his horns outstretched or erect like devil’s horns.
If you head out to a local field in March, just an hour or so before sunset,
you might see this strange ritual. It’s neat no matter how often you see it, as
each time you expect that the male horned lark will die, but he doesn’t.
It just shows that men do dangerous things to impress women, even in the animal
world.
From the 31 March 2025 Wellsville Sun
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