I was away in Ulukhaktok last week and saw a number of new birds as well as some old friends. I am always surprised at the arctic’s biodiversity. Whoever described it as barrenland never looked very closely! The next few weeks will include some stories and photos about the birds and animals I spotted during my week-long visit.
This week I’m sharing some photos of a pair of horned larks who were busy singing and feeding on the arctic tundra. The horned lark is a small sparrow-like bird that forages on the ground for seeds and insects.
I have only ever seen horned larks during migration and have never stumbled across a breeding pair around Yellowknife. Maps suggest that horned larks do breed around this area however I’m not aware of any place where this occurs.
Horned Larks vary in color across North America. Some arctic-breeding birds have little or no yellow on the head, while Eastern and south Texas breeders have the head extensively yellow.
The longest-lived Horned Lark on record in North America was a male, and at least 7 years, 11 months old when he was recaptured and rereleased during banding operations in Colorado in 1983, the same state where he had been banded.