Chondestes grammacuslark sparrow(Also: lark-sparrow)

Ge­o­graphic Range

At dif­fer­ent times of the year, the Lark Spar­row Chon­destes gram­ma­cus is found in a large por­tion of the con­tigu­ous United States, with the ex­cep­tion of the east coast and a rel­a­tively small area in the north­west. The Lark Spar­row is also found in the cen­tral-south­ern re­gion of Canada, and in a large por­tion of Mex­ico. Dur­ing their breed­ing sea­son, they shift far­ther to the north, and dur­ing the win­ter they mi­grate to milder cli­mates far­ther to the south. (Byers et. al. 1995; Ris­ing 1996)

Habi­tat

Lark Spar­rows com­monly breed in prairies, sa­van­nah, mesas, farm­lands, open wood­land, and other open areas with scat­tered trees and patches of bare ground. In win­ter and dur­ing mi­gra­tion they are found in sim­i­lar areas, but can also be found in brushy fields and semi-arid areas. (Byers et. al. 1995; Ris­ing 1996)

Phys­i­cal De­scrip­tion

An adult Lark Spar­row can mea­sure 14 to 16 cm (5.5 to 6.3 in.) in length. Its tail is long, rounded and edged with white. The adult has a dis­tinc­tive light and dark pat­tern on its head which typ­i­cally con­sists of a white or beige stripe on its crown, along with chest­nut col­oration that starts near the top of its bill. It also has chest­nut col­oration on its back. There is no sig­nif­i­cant dif­fer­ence in col­oration be­tween the male and fe­male Lark Spar­row. The ju­ve­nile Lark Spar­row has duller col­oration than the adult Lark Spar­row and has a streaked breast. The adult bird may have a tail that ap­pears to be more brown dur­ing the spring sea­son, due to wear and fad­ing. Lark Spar­rows which breed in the west­ern part of its ge­o­graphic range tend to have lighter col­oration than those found in other parts of the ge­o­graphic range. (Gough et. al. 1998; Ris­ing 1996)

  • Range mass
    25.5 to 33.3 g
    0.90 to 1.17 oz
  • Average mass
    29 g
    1.02 oz

Re­pro­duc­tion

The nest­ing sea­son for the Lark Spar­row goes from mid-April through the month of July. The in­cu­ba­tion pe­riod for the egg of a Lark Spar­row is 11-12 days. The eggs are usu­ally white, bluish white or brown­ish white with dark, brown­ish, black or pur­plish speck­les. The fe­male can lay be­tween 3-6 eggs at a time, but typ­i­cally yields 4 or 5 eggs. The male does not par­tic­i­pate in build­ing the nest or in­cu­bat­ing the eggs. The nest is typ­i­cally built on the ground in a hol­low cup-shaped de­pres­sion lined with grass and stems. Both male and fe­male typ­i­cally feed their young, which nor­mally leave the nest after 6-10 days. (Byers et. al. 1995; Ehrlich et. al. 1988; Ris­ing 1996)

  • Average eggs per season
    4
    AnAge
  • Average time to hatching
    12 days
    AnAge

Lifes­pan/Longevity

Be­hav­ior

While on the ground, the Lark Spar­row ei­ther walks or hops. It is eas­ily dis­turbed, and usu­ally flies to a fence or low branch when alarmed. The male sings per­sis­tently from an ex­posed perch, usu­ally at the edge of a wooded area. Dur­ing courtship, the male struts back and forth in front of the fe­male, while point­ing his beak up in the air, spread­ing his tail and flut­ter­ing his wings. Dur­ing mat­ing, a twig is often passed to the fe­male from the male. When mi­grat­ing, they usu­ally occur in flocks ei­ther con­sist­ing of solely Lark Spar­rows or often con­sist­ing of mul­ti­ple species of spar­rows. (Byers et. al. 1995; Ris­ing 1996)

Com­mu­ni­ca­tion and Per­cep­tion

Food Habits

The Lark Spar­row feeds mostly on seeds and in­sects. Grasshop­pers are a major part of its in­sect diet. It for­ages for food in open areas on the ground. (Byers et. al. 1995; Ris­ing 1996)

Eco­nomic Im­por­tance for Hu­mans: Pos­i­tive

The Lark Spar­row feeds on grasshop­pers, species of which have been known to cause sig­nif­i­cant dam­age to crops; there­fore, the Lark Spar­row may pro­vide some de­gree of pest con­trol.

Eco­nomic Im­por­tance for Hu­mans: Neg­a­tive

Un­known.

Con­ser­va­tion Sta­tus

Lark spar­rows are not en­dan­gered or threat­ened, al­though they are vul­ner­a­ble to forested areas being cleared to make room for farm­land. They have been ex­tir­pated from the state of Michi­gan. (Byers et. al. 1995; Ris­ing 1996)

Con­trib­u­tors

Dwight Jones (au­thor), Fresno City Col­lege, Carl Jo­hans­son (ed­i­tor), Fresno City Col­lege.

Glossary

Nearctic

living in the Nearctic biogeographic province, the northern part of the New World. This includes Greenland, the Canadian Arctic islands, and all of the North American as far south as the highlands of central Mexico.

World Map

acoustic

uses sound to communicate

bilateral symmetry

having body symmetry such that the animal can be divided in one plane into two mirror-image halves. Animals with bilateral symmetry have dorsal and ventral sides, as well as anterior and posterior ends. Synapomorphy of the Bilateria.

chaparral

Found in coastal areas between 30 and 40 degrees latitude, in areas with a Mediterranean climate. Vegetation is dominated by stands of dense, spiny shrubs with tough (hard or waxy) evergreen leaves. May be maintained by periodic fire. In South America it includes the scrub ecotone between forest and paramo.

chemical

uses smells or other chemicals to communicate

endothermic

animals that use metabolically generated heat to regulate body temperature independently of ambient temperature. Endothermy is a synapomorphy of the Mammalia, although it may have arisen in a (now extinct) synapsid ancestor; the fossil record does not distinguish these possibilities. Convergent in birds.

iteroparous

offspring are produced in more than one group (litters, clutches, etc.) and across multiple seasons (or other periods hospitable to reproduction). Iteroparous animals must, by definition, survive over multiple seasons (or periodic condition changes).

motile

having the capacity to move from one place to another.

native range

the area in which the animal is naturally found, the region in which it is endemic.

oviparous

reproduction in which eggs are released by the female; development of offspring occurs outside the mother's body.

sexual

reproduction that includes combining the genetic contribution of two individuals, a male and a female

tactile

uses touch to communicate

tropical savanna and grassland

A terrestrial biome. Savannas are grasslands with scattered individual trees that do not form a closed canopy. Extensive savannas are found in parts of subtropical and tropical Africa and South America, and in Australia.

savanna

A grassland with scattered trees or scattered clumps of trees, a type of community intermediate between grassland and forest. See also Tropical savanna and grassland biome.

temperate grassland

A terrestrial biome found in temperate latitudes (>23.5° N or S latitude). Vegetation is made up mostly of grasses, the height and species diversity of which depend largely on the amount of moisture available. Fire and grazing are important in the long-term maintenance of grasslands.

visual

uses sight to communicate

Ref­er­ences

Byers, C., J. Cur­son, U. Ols­son. 1995. Spar­rows and Buntings. Boston: Houghton Mif­flin.

Ehrlich, P., D. Dobkin, D. Wheye. 1988. The Birder's Hand­book. New York: Simon & Schus­ter, Inc..

Gough,, G., J. Sauer, M. Iliff. 1998. "Lark spar­row" (On-line). Ac­cessed July, 2000 at http://​www.​mbr-pwrc.​usgs.​gov/​id/​framlst/​i5520id.​html.

Ris­ing, J. 1996. A Guide to the Iden­ti­fi­ca­tion and Nat­ural His­tory of The Spar­rows of the United States and Canada. San Diego: Aca­d­e­mic Press.