A passerine common in open grassy areas with scattered trees or in shortgrass adjacent to trees, and found easily in pastures and on farmlands. They are ground foragers, oftentimes on lawns searching for seeds and insects. This large, thick-billed sparrow has a variegated face pattern, the best identifying feature.
Even early in the breeding season, the male will sing often, be it in flight, on the ground or perched on fenceposts. Tail spreads are a conspicuous part of display before mating. The male will hold a small twig, copulate with the female, and then pass it to her, when she will fly off and possibly use it while she constructs the nests.
Females will occasionally use thrasher or mockingbird nests instead of building theirs, sometimes preferring to be in a tree or shrub. They will frequently nest upon the ground in natural grasslands where there is a slight rise or a shallow depression in shaded and bare locations.
There are some minor issues with population growth most likely used by loss of habitat or the increase of fire frequency due to invasive grasses. They once were plentiful in the east, but population drove them away.
One of the easiest sparrows to identify due to the distinctive facial pattern and long tail with broad white edges, the lark sparrow is found in a wide range across the US, except in the east. This New World sparrow is a short to medium distance migrant wintering in Mexico and is also a vagrant to the United Kingdom.
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