Length: 7.5 inches | Wingspan: 13 inches | Seasonality: All Seasons |
ID Keys: Black chest and cheek, white or yellow face, plain brown body with white underparts |
A hardy, all-season bird
of open areas. Horned Larks are pretty common most of the year in much of South
Dakota, but they're often quite hard to observe closely. Most of the year,
they often go unnoticed. However, they're much more observable with a
fresh snow on the ground, as they often congregate in numbers along gravel
roadsides, along with Lapland Longspurs and
Snow Buntings. The "horns" of the
Horned Lark are in fact quite small, black tufts of feathers that can only
be seen at very close range.
3) Audubon Guide - Horned Lark
Click on the map below for a higher-resolution view |
![]() |
South Dakota Status: Common permanent resident throughout the state. |