USGS Home
Contact USGS
Search USGS

Breeding Range. (Fig. 169). Abundant throughout the Missouri Slope and Coteau Slope; locally abundant on the Little Missouri Slope, Missouri Coteau, and Northwestern Drift Plain; fairly common (irregular occurrence and local) on the Southern Drift Plain and in the southwestern portion of the Northeastern Drift Plain (within Pierce, Benson, Eddy, and Griggs Counties, southern Towner County, western Ramsey County, and southwestern Nelson County); uncommon or rare (very sporadic and local in occurrence) elsewhere on the Northeastern Drift Plain and in the Agassiz Lake Plain Region. The annual fluctuations of breeding populations in eastern North Dakota are described in detail by Hibbard (1965).

Breeding Habitat. Tracts of sage prairie that occur locally on the Little Missouri Slope, Missouri Slope, and Coteau Slope apparently represent the optimum natural habitat type that is occupied by this species. These tracts, occurring on flats along stream valleys or in lowland draws, are dominated by silver sage and prickly pear cactus, associated with needle-and-thread, blue grama, needleleaf sedge, and threadleaf sedge. Typical tracts of mixed-grass prairie are occasionally utilized by Lark Buntings, particularly when short-growth shrubs such as wolfberry and silverberry are present. Locally, prairie grasslands on deltaic sand areas that contain an open shrub growth of western rose are favored habitats.

Disturbance habitats created by man are more extensively used by this species. These include weedy roadsides, retired cropland (planted with non-native perennial grasses, including crested wheatgrass and smooth brome, and often including sweetclover or alfalfa), weedy fallow fields, and alfalfa hayfields. During early July 1874, along the expedition route from Fort Lincoln southwest toward the Black Hills of South Dakota, Grinnell (1875) found this species to be very numerous. He reported that "It seems to prefer broken country to the level prairie, and was most abundant near low buttes, on the borders of streams, and along ravines and coules."

Nesting. Breeding season: Late May to late August: peak, early June to early August. On May 23 [1967], a newly constructed nest without eggs was found in Morton County (RES). Extreme egg dates (23 nests): June 3 [1974] in Kidder County (RES) to July 21 [1843] in McKenzie County (Audubon 1897). Extreme nestling dates (5 nests): June 6 [1964] in Bowman County to August 2 [1971-nestlings 1/3 grown] in Stutsman County (RES). Extreme dates of dependent young out of the nest (4 records): June 22 [1967] in Bowman County (RES) to August 22 [1967] in Stark County (R. L. Kroodsma).

All nests were situated on the ground often at the base of a low shrub or coarse forb. Nests were located in the following habitats: mixed-grass prairie - four, sage prairie - four, retired cropland - three, alfalfa hayfield - two, and weedy disked stubble - one.

Indicated clutch size (20 nests): 3 to 5 eggs; mean, 4.3 eggs.

Figure 169. Breeding Range of Lark Bunting.

Lark Bunting