The Lark Bunting’s Eye-Catching Display

BirdNote^®
The Lark Bunting’s Eye-Catching Display
Written by Ariana Remmel

This is BirdNote.

         [Lark Bunting and Montana soundscape]

During the summer breeding season, North America’s Great Plains come alive with birdsong. Among the most memorable is the Lark Bunting, whose serenade is complete with costume and choreography.

         [Lark Bunting]

Lark Buntings are migratory sparrows that live in grasslands from south central Canada to the northern plateaus of Mexico. For most of the year, the buntings are brown, white and streaky. They spend the winter traveling in large, nomadic flocks in search of seeds and insects.

But as spring approaches, the males become a velvety black with a contrasting patch of bright white feathers on each wing. Wardrobe change complete, this sparrow is ready to put on a show!

         [Lark Bunting]

Male Lark Buntings perform elaborate flight displays to attract mates and fend off rivals. First the bunting ascends quickly – a dark spot rising through the open sky. Then he begins a slow descent, flashing those white feathers with each flap of his wings. Flying back to earth, the bunting belts out a complex series of trills, whistles, and buzzy phrases.

         [Lark Bunting]

A spectacular performance indeed!

         [Lark Bunting]

For BirdNote, I’m Ariana Remmel.

###
Senior Producer: Mark Bramhill
Producer: Sam Johnson
Managing Producer: Jazzi Johnson
Managing Producer: Ariana Remmel
Content Director: Jonese Franklin

Bird sounds provided by The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. Lark Bunting ML27163271 recorded by Ed Pandolfino and ML57569 recorded by William W. H. Gunn.
BirdNote’s theme was composed and played by Nancy Rumbel and John Kessler.
© 2026 BirdNote August 2026
Narrator: Ariana Remmel

ID# LARB-01-2026-08-21    LARB-01

Reference:
https://birdsoftheworld.org/bow/species/larbun/cur/introduction   
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Lark_Bunting/overview