 Breeding evidence |
 Relative abundance |
 Probability of observation |
Click for a larger version or to add map overlays |
||
Click on plot to view table of mean abundance
|
Number of squares
Long-term BBS trends
|
-3.67 (-4.21 - -3.11)|
Mean abundance (number of birds detected per 5 min. point count) and percentage of squares occupied by region Bird Conservation Regions [abund. plot]
[%squares plot]
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Atlas Results
Horned Larks were observed in 1,470 atlas squares, including breeding confirmations in 195 squares. They were predominantly found in open habitats south of the Boreal Transition ecoregion and had a high probability of observation across the south. The centers of greatest relative abundance were located in the Mixed and Moist-Mixed Grassland ecoregions. In the north, expeditions revealed more Horned Lark sightings than anticipated, with sightings in 13 atlas squares in open habitats such as mature jack pine stands and sand dunes during the breeding season. An expedition down the MacFarlane river revealed a hotspot of occurrence, with Horned Larks detected on eight of 26 point counts in a single square near Brudell Lake, northwest of Cree Lake.
Excerpts Adapted from the Birds of Saskatchewan:
While the snow is still on the ground, these harbingers of spring, with their tinkling, bell-like sound, feed on weed seeds along roadsides and fly up from the shoulders as vehicles approach (Hay in Leighton et al. 2002). With the exception of the heavily forested portions of the boreal forest and west coast rainforests, the Horned Lark is found over most of North America from the Arctic Islands to central Mexico. During the winter it withdraws to southern Canada and southward.
Horned Larks breed in open, treeless country including native pasture, tame pasture, summerfallow, stubble, and young crop along with sandy areas in the far north. In early spring and winter they are most often seen feeding along the edges of grid (gravel) roads and on wind-blown hilltops.
The Horned Lark is a common breeder in both cultivated land and rangeland throughout the agricultural south and an uncommon breeder in transitional forest. It is almost exclusively a transient in the boreal forest and found as an uncommon breeder in the Athabasca Sand Dunes area. In winter it is common and regular in the grasslands but uncommon and irregular farther north (Smith 1996).
Original text by Gregory P. Kratzig. Text adapted by Daniel J. Sawatzky
Read more about the Horned Lark in the Birds of Saskatchewan here.
Recommended citation: Latremouille, L. M. 2025. Horned Lark in Latremouille, L. M., S. L. Van Wilgenburg, C. B. Jardine, D. Lepage, A. R. Couturier, D. Evans, D. Iles, and K. L. Drake (eds.). 2025. The Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Saskatchewan, 2017-2021. Birds Canada. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan https://sk.birdatlas.ca/accounts/speciesaccount.jsp?sp=HOLA&lang=en [09 Nov 2025]
| Previous species: Boreal Chickadee | Table of Contents | Next species: Bank Swallow |