Horned Lark
(Eremophila alpestris)

Overview

Summary

© Chuck Kling
For additional photos and vocalizations, visit Dendroica. (Link opens in a new window.)

The Horned Lark has a global distribution, but in Canada it occupies a variety of treeless environments, from seaside barrens to mountain peaks, arctic tundra to prairie pastures. Data from the Breeding Bird Survey and Christmas Bird Counts suggest a large decrease in numbers since about 1970. One of the subspecies in Canada, E. a. strigata, which is resident on coastal prairies in southern British Columbia, was assessed by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada as Endangered in 2003 (COSEWIC 2003a) and may in fact be extirpated from the country. This species has been identified as a priority for conservation and/or stewardship in one or more Bird Conservation Region Strategies in Canada.

Designations

Population status

Population estimate

Distribution maps

• BirdLife International / NatureServe
• Breeding Bird Survey (BBS): Relative Abundance and Breeding Distribution (1993-2012)

Migration strategy, occurrence

Responsibility for conservation of world population

Conservation and management

Horned Lark populations very likely increased dramatically in parts of Canada where forests were cleared for agriculture; these populations have been decreasing in recent years as many sites marginal for agricultural purposes are now reverting to forest (Beason 1995). Elsewhere, loss of native grassland habitat has negatively affected populations, particularly that of E. a. strigata on the south coast of British Columbia (Beason 1995, COSEWIC 2003a). For information on the legal status of this species under the Species at Risk Act (SARA) and to view the Recovery Strategy, see the SARA Registry.

Bird conservation region strategies

Environment and Climate Change Canada and partners have developed Bird Conservation Region Strategies in each of Canada’s Bird Conservation Regions (BCRs). In these strategies, selected species are identified as priorities for one or more of the following reasons:

• conservation concerns (i.e., species vulnerable due to population size, distribution, population trend, abundance, or threats)
• stewardship responsibilities (i.e., species that typify the regional avifauna or have a large proportion of their range or population in the sub-region)
• management concerns (i.e., species that require ongoing management because of their socio-economic importance as game species, or because of their impacts on other species or habitats)
• other concerns (i.e., species deemed a priority by regional experts for other reasons than those listed above or because they are listed as species at risk or concern at the provincial level)

Select any of the sub-regions below to view the BCR strategy for additional details.

References

• Beason, R.C. 1995. Horned Lark (Eremophila alpestris), The Birds of North America Online (A. Poole, Ed.). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. Beason, R.C. 1995. Horned Lark (Eremophila alpestris), The Birds of North America Online (A. Poole, Ed.). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. (Link)
• COSEWIC. 2003a. COSEWIC Assessment and Update Status Report on the Horned Lark strigata subspecies Eremophila alpestris strigata in Canada. Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. Ottawa. vi + 23 pp. COSEWIC. 2003a. COSEWIC Assessment and Update Status Report on the Horned Lark strigata subspecies Eremophila alpestris strigata in Canada. Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. Ottawa. vi + 23 pp. (Link)