Lark-Bunting 407 
92, p. 101; Cooke 97, pp. 19, 109, 217 ; Keyser 02, p. 285 ; Henderson 
03, p. 236; 09, p. 238; Warren 06, p. 23; 08, p. 24; 09, p. 16; 
Gilman 07, p. 157; Markman 07, p. 157; Cary 09, p. 183. 
Description.—Male—General colour black above and below, middle 
and greater coverts white forming a conspicuous wing-patch ; narrow 
white borders and tips to many of the wing and tail-feathers and 
coverts, these often wearing off later in the summer; iris brown, 
bill dusky blue, legs dark horn. Length 5.25; wing 3-50; tail 2-75 ; 
culmen -55; tarsus -90. 
The female is buffy-brown above streaked with dusky, and white 
below streaked with blackish ; the wing-patch as in the male but rather 
smaller and tinged with buffy. The male in winter is like the female, 
but the bases of the feathers, especially of the under-parts, are black, 
and tend to show through ; the chin also is black. The young bird 
is also like the female but is more buffy. 
Distribution.—The great plains of middle North America between 
the Missouri and the Rocky Mountains, breeding from Assinaboia to 
Kansas, south in winter through Texas to southern California and the 
Mexican plateau as far as Guanajuato. 
In Colorado the Lark-Bunting is one of the commonest summer 
birds on the dry eastern prairie portion of the State. It enters the 
foothills and mountain parks, but is not often seen at elevations above 
8,000 feet, though found breeding by Carter (Cooke 97) near Dillon 
at 8,800 feet. On the western side of the range it was met with by 
Warren at several localities in Routt co. near Yampa and Steamboat 
Springs, and Gilman observed it near Cortez in the extreme south-west 
corner of the State. Other localities are: near Greeley (Markman), 
Boulder co. (Henderson), Denver (Henshaw), South Park (Allen), 
El Paso and Lincoln cos. (Aiken), Pueblo (Lowe), Salida (Frey), near 
Saguache (Cary), and Monon, Baca co. (Warren). 
The Lark-Bunting arrives early in May (April 30th at Monon, May 
9th at Pueblo), the males first, the females about a week later; they 
leave again at the end of August. Cary saw a belated fall-migrant 
as late as November 7th near Saguache in San Luis Valley. 
Habits.—This bird, often miscalled the Bobolink in 
Colorado, is one of the most characteristic features of 
prairie bird-life. Itis usually met with in flocks of twenty 
to forty birds in early May, and again after the breeding 
season is over, when the post-nuptial moult has taken 
place and the sexes are alike. It is a bird of powerful 
flight, delighting to struggle against the strongest gales 
