Lark Sparrow

Lark Sparrow Seen in Grand Manan

Lark Sparrow

 On May 10 we birded Whitehead Island, off Grand Manan and found this beautiful Lark Sparrow (Chondestes grammacus) feeding on a feeder and on the ground under the feeder along with Purple Finches, Black-capped Chickadees, Dark-eyed Juncos and Baltimore Orioles.  This was an exciting find because this species is only listed as 'casual' here.  Usually a few sightings occur mostly in the fall along the Grand Manan archipeligo and along other coastal areas on New Brunswick.  Only a few are seen in spring.

The Lark Sparrow is a western sparrow, breeding in summer in the western half of the US as far north as the southern prairie provinces of Canada.  It winters in California, southern Texas, and Mexico.  This is normally a bird of open grasslands where it feeds on seeds, grasshoppers and other insects.  As seen in the photo above, it readily enjoys feeding on seeds from a feeder.

Lark Sparrow

The Lark Sparrow is a brightly coloured bird, showing a beautiful pattern of light and dark brown on its face mixed with white and beige.  It has a long tail which shows conspicuous white outer tail feathers in flight.  The breast is plain gray with a dark spot in the middle.  Both males and females look alike and the juvenile is a muted form of the adult with streaks on the breast.

Lark Sparrow

The Lark Sparrow was first recorded in New Brunswick from Grand Manan on 13 August 1923.   We have had many reports since then and it has become a rare visitor but not unusual.

The male Lark Sparrow performs a courting dance which I have not been lucky enough to see.  It crouches on the ground, holds its tail up high, spreads its tail feathers to show its white outer-tail feathers, and struts around with drooping wings.  He must be an interesting sight!  Apparently the female is impressed because she eventually picks one performing male as her mate.  They go on to build a rough nest of sticks and grass lined with fine grass and rootlets, low on the ground or in a bush.  Their eggs are pale white to gray marked with brown or black spots.  We have no nesting records of this species in New Brunswick.