{"id":1887,"date":"2011-02-14T05:19:05","date_gmt":"2011-02-14T12:19:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=1887"},"modified":"2026-01-06T07:35:08","modified_gmt":"2026-01-06T13:35:08","slug":"horned-larks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2011\/02\/14\/horned-larks\/","title":{"rendered":"Horned Larks In Utah"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"HornedMale Horned Lark singing on a shrub – Nikon D200, f6.3, 1\/1500, ISO 320, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

Yesterday was awesome for Horned Larks in Tooele County, Utah. The day was sunny with a few thin clouds overhead and as the sun rose the air warmed fast, in fact, in Salt Lake City a record was broken yesterday.<\/p>\n

The horned larks must have felt as though a touch of spring was in the air because they were almost all singing from rocks and shrubs. The image above shows the “horns” of this species well. In Europe and Asia this species is also know as the Shore Lark.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\"MaleMale Horned Lark back view – Nikon D200, f6.3, 1\/200, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

Horned Larks are birds of open country and are found areas with lots of bare ground, they can be found throughout North America. Horned Larks flourish in areas of the Great Basin from arid areas to the tundra above the timberline.<\/p>\n

They nest in a depression on the bare ground sometimes sheltered by low shrubs and grasses. They lay 2-5 eggs and can have as many as three broods a year.<\/p>\n

\"FemaleFemale Horned Lark in Tooele County, Utah – Nikon D200, f6.3, 1\/1250, ISO 320, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

Horned Larks are ground foragers, they eat mostly insects in the summer and on the seeds of sedges and grasses in the winter. When they are feeding they can be a challenge to photograph as they scurry along the ground in search of seeds.<\/p>\n

Quite often the larks blend into the habitat because of their coloring and plumage patterns. There are times I do not see them until they move.<\/p>\n

You sure can hear them though! They have a lovely call and seem to enjoy singing it often, once you have heard the call you will likely remember it for the rest of your life.<\/p>\n

\"MaleHorned Lark singing on a rock – Nikon D200, f6.3, 1\/1000, ISO 320, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

Last month I saw several flocks of these larks numbering in the hundreds, it was the most Horned Larks I had ever seen flocked together.<\/p>\n

The larks swirled over the open ground in waves similar to blackbirds and starlings. They are a hardy species and winter from southern Canada south to Mexico.<\/p>\n

\"AlertAlert Horned Lark male – Nikon D200, f6.3, 1\/2000, ISO 320, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

It did feel like spring is on its way yesterday and the Horned Larks<\/span><\/a> enhanced that feeling with their presence and song. What a great day! Great light, plenty of birds, and the sun kissing my face… who could ask for anything more?<\/p>\n

Life is good.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/span><\/a> to see more of my Horned Lark photos plus facts and information about this species.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Yesterday was awesome for Horned Larks (Eremophila alpestris) in Tooele County, Utah.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":166453,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27,436,358,26,1314],"tags":[4098,4181,4070,7017,1446,5056,1327,6433,2136,4062,5054,4104,5055,4179,4210],"class_list":["post-1887","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-avian","category-horned-larks","category-tooele-county","category-utah","category-west-desert-utah","tag-desert","tag-eremophila-alpestris","tag-female","tag-foothills","tag-great-basin","tag-ground-foragers","tag-horned-lark","tag-lark","tag-larks-2","tag-male","tag-open-country","tag-perched","tag-shore-lark","tag-singing-2","tag-stansbury-mountains"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/horned-lark-alert-mia-mcpherson-3829.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-ur","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":116796,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2023\/10\/06\/fall-male-horned-lark-plus-a-bonus-photo\/","url_meta":{"origin":1887,"position":0},"title":"Fall Male Horned Lark Plus A Bonus Photo","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"October 6, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Yesterday morning, I spent time photographing a male Horned Lark perched on a barbed wire fence in the West Desert, with Stansbury Island in the background.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Fall male Horned Lark in the West Desert, Tooele County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/horned-lark-fall-adult-male-west-desert-mia-mcpherson-2106.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/horned-lark-fall-adult-male-west-desert-mia-mcpherson-2106.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/horned-lark-fall-adult-male-west-desert-mia-mcpherson-2106.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/horned-lark-fall-adult-male-west-desert-mia-mcpherson-2106.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7980,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2013\/03\/31\/female-horned-lark-and-the-moon-setting-over-the-stansbury-mountains\/","url_meta":{"origin":1887,"position":1},"title":"Female Horned Lark And The Moon Setting Over The Stansbury Mountains","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"March 31, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"I photograph tons of male Horned Larks but don't have that many images of female Horned Larks, I was happy to find this beautiful female dancing and singing on a boulder in early morning light yesterday in Tooele County, Utah.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Singing female Horned Lark in Tooele County, Utah.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/horned-lark-singing-female-mia-mcpherson-3733.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/horned-lark-singing-female-mia-mcpherson-3733.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/horned-lark-singing-female-mia-mcpherson-3733.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/horned-lark-singing-female-mia-mcpherson-3733.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":166438,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2026\/01\/06\/horned-lark-meet-the-2026-aba-bird-of-the-year\/","url_meta":{"origin":1887,"position":2},"title":"Horned Lark – Meet The 2026 ABA Bird Of The Year","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"January 6, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Meet the Horned Lark, chosen by the American Birding Association as the 2026 ABA Bird of the Year. A bold pick, and honestly a great one.","rel":"","context":"In "Antelope Island State Park"","block_context":{"text":"Antelope Island State Park","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/antelope-island-state-park\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Early spring Horned Lark male on Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/horned-lark-male-adult-mia-mcpherson-2132.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/horned-lark-male-adult-mia-mcpherson-2132.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/horned-lark-male-adult-mia-mcpherson-2132.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, 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Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/horned-lark-male-hunched-down-mia-mcpherson-4358.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/horned-lark-male-hunched-down-mia-mcpherson-4358.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/horned-lark-male-hunched-down-mia-mcpherson-4358.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/horned-lark-male-hunched-down-mia-mcpherson-4358.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3993,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2012\/01\/13\/friday-photos-horned-lark-and-western-meadowlark\/","url_meta":{"origin":1887,"position":4},"title":"Friday Photos ~ Horned Lark and Western Meadowlark","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"January 13, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Horned Larks and Western Meadowlarks are birds that I enjoy photographing all year long in Utah and yesterday they gave me some wonderful opportunities.","rel":"","context":"In "Antelope Island State Park"","block_context":{"text":"Antelope Island State Park","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/antelope-island-state-park\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Western Meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta), Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/western-meadowlark-mia-mcpherson-6550.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/western-meadowlark-mia-mcpherson-6550.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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