# Lark Bunting

*Calamospiza melanocorys*

The Lark Bunting is the only member of its genus and is the official state bird of Colorado.

- **Taxonomy:** Animalia › Chordata › Aves › Passeriformes › Passerellidae › Calamospiza
- **IUCN Red List status:** Least Concern
- **Population trend:** decreasing
- **Biome:** grassland
- **Habitat:** Shortgrass and mixed-grass prairies, sagebrush flats, and desert scrub.
- **Diet:** Seeds of grasses and forbs, supplemented by insects like grasshoppers and beetles during the breeding season.
- **Range:** Great Plains of North America, Southern United States, Central Mexico
- **Size:** 14-18 cm in length; wingspan of approximately 25-28 cm.
- **Lifespan:** 3-5 years in the wild.
- **Active:** diurnal
- **Threats:** Loss of native prairie to agriculture, overgrazing, and pesticide use reducing insect prey.
- **Safe to approach?:** Harmless. These birds are ground-nesters; watch your step in tall grass during spring to avoid disturbing nests. Enjoy their aerial displays from a distance with binoculars.

## About

The lark bunting ( Calamospiza melanocorys ) is a medium-sized American sparrow native to central and western North America. It is also the state bird of Colorado.

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/58400b04-2029-4e67-9285-7511c128ab15
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/10585
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calamospiza melanocorys
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/108836200/medium.jpg (Jonathan Eisen, CC-BY, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.