Horned Lark Update
HORNED LARK UPDATE
It looks like I have been extraordinarily fortunate in finding Horned Larks this winter, for according to Ian Worley, noted Vermont birder, numbers are down significantly for not only Horned Larks, but also Snow Buntings and Lapland Longspurs this winter in the Champlain Valley. He suggests that this may be due to global warming as well as changes in agricultural land tilling and harvesting practices and equipment.
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Horned Larks Aplenty In Vermont’s Champlain Valley
Along the sides of plowed roads flocks of brown birds called Horned Larks (Eremophila alpestris) may rise up as you drive by, fly in undulating fashion for a while and then settle back down on the roadside where they resume foraging for the seeds of ragweed, foxtail, crab grass and other weedy plants.
With its tiny feather tufts looking like miniature devil horns, this winter visitor from the north and the only native lark of North America will rarely if ever be seen perched in a tree or even a low shrub, for it is a creature of the ground where it both feeds and nests.
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Horned Larks Seeking Seeds
Horned Larks are named for the dark feathers near the back of their head that sometimes become erect and resemble horns. During the winter, these birds typically form large flocks which often include Lapland Longspurs and Snow Buntings. Horned Larks are usually found in fields where the snow has blown the ground bare, but they can also be found hunting and pecking on manure and silage piles. As they walk or run along the ground foraging for seeds on bare ground, these brown-backed birds are very well camouflaged (not so much on snow). There is a wide variation of shades of brown back feathers throughout their range, and researchers have found that their color is strongly correlated with the color of the local soil.
Horned Larks nest on prairies, deserts and agricultural land throughout much of the U.S., as well as the Arctic tundra. In another month, most of the Horned Larks overwintering in northern New England will migrate north.
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Sedge Seeds
Over 500 species of sedges in the genus Carex are found in the U.S. – over half of the world’s total. The great majority of these perennial, grass-like plants grow in the moist soil of meadows, marshes and bogs, as well as in high altitudes. Sedges are often distinguished from grasses by their stem, which is typically triangular in cross-section (“sedges have edges”). The flowers of sedges, each surrounded by a bottle-shaped bract, or modified leaf called a perigynium, are clustered on spikelets. The tips of these bracts persist after the seeds have formed, giving the spikelets a prickly appearance.
Because of their wide availability, the seeds are eaten by many kinds of wildlife, especially birds. Wild Turkeys, American Woodcock, Northern Cardinals, Horned Larks, Snow Buntings, Lapland Longspurs, ducks, rails, sparrows, redpolls and finches relish them. In the Northeast, Carex seeds, along with insects, are the most regular items in the diet of Ruffed Grouse chicks. Moose also occasionally feed on sedge seeds. (Photo: Longhair or Bottlebrush Sedge, Carex comosa)
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