{"id":39404,"date":"2016-05-11T04:50:10","date_gmt":"2016-05-11T10:50:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=39404"},"modified":"2025-10-25T04:54:59","modified_gmt":"2025-10-25T09:54:59","slug":"harlequin-faced-lark-sparrows","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2016\/05\/11\/harlequin-faced-lark-sparrows\/","title":{"rendered":"Harlequin Faced Lark Sparrows"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"LarkLark Sparrow on a boulder – Nikon D810, f7.1, 1.2500, ISO 400, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

Typically I don’t try to play favorites when it comes to birds because they are all so wonderful, interesting and so much fun to photograph; even the ones most people ignore, but I have to admit that Lark Sparrows are a favorite of mine.<\/p>\n

First, I love their calls and songs and even when I don’t see the birds I know that they are there probably walking around under the sagebrush or weaving through the grasses.<\/p>\n

Second, I love the harlequin patterns on their faces created by the chestnut, cream, buff and black plumage on their heads. Some might say they look clownish with those patterns but not me, I think it makes them look elegant. The harlequin faced Lark Sparrows are unique, easily identified and quite striking for sparrows which are known for being “little brown jobs”.<\/p>\n

The Lark Sparrow above was photographed yesterday on Antelope Island<\/span><\/a> and was one of a pair I found right next to the road. One of the birds had a piece of dried grass in its bill and I hoped I would get to see the sparrows courting but they flew off.<\/p>\n

Sorry this is a bit short but I am heading north this morning to guide Steve Creek<\/span><\/a>, one of my favorite friends, on his first trip to one of my favorite places, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge! I just know he is going to love it.<\/p>\n

Life is<\/em> good.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

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

The harlequin faced Lark Sparrows are unique, easily identified and quite striking for sparrows which are known for being “little brown jobs”.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":161652,"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":[511,27,1022,1465,26],"tags":[4004,4138,4372,4098,5144,5143,9070,1539,855,4195,165],"class_list":["post-39404","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-antelope-island-state-park","category-avian","category-davis-county-utah","category-lark-sparrows","category-utah","tag-adult","tag-boulder","tag-chondestes-grammacus","tag-desert","tag-harlequin","tag-harlequin-face","tag-island","tag-lark-sparrow","tag-sparrow","tag-sparrows","tag-spring"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/lark-sparrow-adult-mia-mcpherson-7133.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-afy","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":46365,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2017\/04\/18\/lark-sparrow-with-an-ant-on-antelope-island\/","url_meta":{"origin":39404,"position":0},"title":"Lark Sparrow with an Ant on Antelope Island","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"April 18, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"The day I photographed this Lark Sparrow with an ant on the boulder right next to it the light wasn't the best for bird photography but when I reviewed the images and saw the ant I knew I had to keep this photo.","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":"Lark Sparrow with an ant, Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/lark-sparrow-with-ant-mia-mcpherson-2369.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/lark-sparrow-with-ant-mia-mcpherson-2369.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/lark-sparrow-with-ant-mia-mcpherson-2369.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/lark-sparrow-with-ant-mia-mcpherson-2369.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4888,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2012\/04\/29\/lark-sparrow\/","url_meta":{"origin":39404,"position":1},"title":"Lark Sparrow","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"April 29, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"This is the closest I have been to a Lark Sparrow to date and this was a very cooperative bird too!","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":"Perched Lark Sparrow, Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, 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course an image of a Lark Sparrow on the ground.","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":"Adult Lark Sparrow on Antelope Island State Park in Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/lark-sparrow-ground-mia-mcpherson-2862.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/lark-sparrow-ground-mia-mcpherson-2862.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/lark-sparrow-ground-mia-mcpherson-2862.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/lark-sparrow-ground-mia-mcpherson-2862.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":8592,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2013\/06\/14\/lark-sparrow-behaviors-and-a-grasshopper\/","url_meta":{"origin":39404,"position":3},"title":"Lark Sparrow Behaviors And A Grasshopper","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"June 14, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"It was great to get back out into the field yesterday and even better that there were some cooperative Lark Sparrows in my viewfinder.","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":"Close up of a Lark Sparrow with a grasshopper on a rock, Antelope Island State Park, 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2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Two days ago I photographed this adult Lark Sparrow that I found perched on an old fence post in golden light in the West Desert of Tooele County.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Lark Sparrow adult in golden light, West Desert, Tooele County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/lark-sparrow-golden-light-fence-post-mia-mcpherson-3329.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/lark-sparrow-golden-light-fence-post-mia-mcpherson-3329.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/lark-sparrow-golden-light-fence-post-mia-mcpherson-3329.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, 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