A bird that likes barren ground

The horned lark is a small bird about the size of a snowbird. It is a songbird native to North America.

Several subspecies are native to several continents of the world. The horned lark thrives in areas most other birds avoid.

This bird finds safety in open spaces such as cow pastures and areas where bare ground is exposed. It even will nest in such overly exposed places.

The horned lark subsists on small seeds and insects. In Southeast Missouri, this little bird goes unnoticed during most of the year. It is seldom seen at a bird feeder.

Neither its song nor its color is exceptional. It is most often noted during winter, when small flocks can be seen along highway rights of way after snow or ice cover begins to melt.

During summer, adult males exhibit a black tuft of feathers on each side of the head above and behind the eyes, which look like horns.

The horned lark here is a female I found searching for seed near a road. It stands on ice near soybean stubble during a very cold afternoon.