The 8th largest and 21st most populated state of the United States is Colorado. This state is famous due to its beautiful scenery and abundance of wildlife birds and animals. The state of Colorado chose lark bunting as their state bird in 1931.Its scientific name is Calamospiza melanocorys.
This bird is a songbird and a member of the sparrow family. This bird is of medium size having black feathers and whitish patches on its wings. These birds mostly reside in the brushes and prairie lands of this state. These are omnivores and eat insects such as bugs etc. but in winter, they prefer to eat grasses and weeds.
The reason behind
This state chose lark bunting as their state bird, but it is not a lark nor a bunting, but it belongs to the sparrow family. This native bird recognizes itself as a state resident because of its melodious voice and courtship dance.
People become amused by the dance performance of male birds to win the heart of their female partners. The male bird first wave himself 50 feet in the air then spins downward in a spiral direction and sings a love song for his mate. In 1931, the state of Colorado wanted to choose a bird as their state bird.
For this purpose, they conducted a student ballot but the state could not decide between meadowlark, lark bunting, and bluebird. Many states share their state birds but Colorado wanted uniqueness. They wanted to choose a bird as their state bird, which permeated the state. In this way, lark bunting was chosen as their state bird.
Physical characteristics
Lark bunting is dressed up with black feathers with white imprints on their wings. When the males are ready for breeding, they wear tuxedos for mating. The non-breeding males and females have gray-brown feathers with stripes on them.
Their bills are light in color as compared to their body and are short. These birds are about 5 to 7 inches in length and their wingspan is 11 inches. Except for their wide wingspan, their feathers are tipped in white and have short tails. The average weight of these birds is 1.3 to 1.5 ounces.
Behavior
These birds are social and have a gentle manner. They love to live in grasslands, brushes, and prairies. First, they build their nests on the ground and then hide them in shrubs and grassy areas. The shape of their nests differs from most of the other birds because it is similar to a deep-sided cup.
Lark buntings can sing many communication sounds and different songs to amuse their partners and other viewers. In the summer and spring seasons, the males usually sing two types of songs and make them attractive to their females.
Usually, they sing a slow and melodious sound then it continues for eight seconds. The sounds are used as in-flight sounds, a call for their partner, a hungry bird sound, and the voice of baby birds returning to their nests.
These birds usually migrate during the winter seasons. As Colorado is their home, but like other birds, this state becomes a little colder for feathered fowls. They spend their winters in Texas, Northern Mexico, and Arizona.
Reproduction and nesting
These birds are monogamous but sometimes a male will have a second mate. During the breeding season, both partners spend most of their time together in their territory. During this whole period, the male remains silent. The nesting period starts in April and ends in July.
Before nesting, females visit many sites along with the male partner, then choose the appropriate site for nesting. Once selected, then they hid the nesting place with shrubs and dense leaves with the help of their feet. The male collects the accessories from the surroundings to build their nest.
First, they dig a c-shaped hollow on the ground and then surround that with grass, stems, and shrubs. Almost 3 to 6 eggs are laid at a time which is lighter blue in shade. The incubation period is of 10 to 11 days and during this period males feed their female partners.
The chicks are brooded and fed by both males and females. Males bring food for the females and females in return feed their young ones. After 8 to 10 days of hatching, little chicks leave their nests. They cannot fly but remain near their parent’snests,covering themselves with vegetation. Both the parents feed them for some more days.
Formation of communities
These birds mostly travel in groups and flocks. They migrate from Colorado to Texas and Arizona together. In winters they choose grasslands or a dry lake bed as their nesting area. Their preferences in the case of habitat are grasslands. They love to live and eat there. In winters, they can be seen in human-populated areas such as in cattle feedlots or on roadside weed seeds.
Eating habits
Lark buntings are called omnivores and they prefer to eat bugs in comparison to weed seeds. During the summer season, when insects are in abundance, these birds choose meat diet in more proportions. They feed their babies a full meaty diet.
During foraging, they find seeds on the ground or by slightly digging the ground. During the process of hunting, they chase their prey first and then trap that. The females are much more efficient in foraging on the ground as compared to males. Their preferred food items are bees, beetles, caterpillars, moths, grasshoppers, wasps, and leafhoppers. Food items other than meat are fruits, grains, grass, leaves, and forbs.
Corn
Corns can be offered to these birds every day.These seeds contain a high percentage of proteins and carbohydrates and help in improving digestibility. Broken corns are of high energy content and are very helpful in the growing period of young birds. Overeating a corn full diet should be avoided because it leads to fatty birds.
Peas
These seeds are a complete source of minerals, proteins, and fats. It is easily digestible and improves health. It is excellent for both young and adult birds. The use of peas activates the immune system, minimizes fatigue, and contributes to the healthy growth of these birds.
Oats
Oats are not having good taste but are required in moderate doses because they are best for the growth of their feathers. These are helpful for the circulatory and nervous systems. For the diets of laying birds, a small amount of oats is used. These seeds are very helpful in the winter season.
Insects
These birds help the gardeners and farmers by eating harmful pests of plants such as aphids, slugs, grasshoppers, cotton cutworms, snails, and bollworms. They love to eat some other insects including beetles, flies, crickets, katydids, spiders, butterflies, worms, centipedes, cicadas, moths, and mealworms, dragonflies, and leafhoppers. These birds can hunt bugs in the summer season. They prefer to eat ants, moths, sawflies, and bees.
Eating habits in winter
During cold weather, they depend on nuts and some seeds such as pine seeds and mustard seeds. If fruits and berries are available in the winter season, they consume them. They change their habitat in the winter season. As they are omnivores, they can eat almost everything including fruits, vegetables, and live or dead animals.
Food for baby chicks
They consume different insects in the nest which are fed by their parents. Parents offer them regurgitated food for up to 3 to 4 weeks. After that, they grow up and leave their nests and find their food by themselves.
Water requirement
They should be supplied with an adequate water supply. The water should be fresh, clean, and free of harmful chemicals and dust. All the food utensils should be properly washed regularly. A running fountain should be there to attract them. If it is not possible then drinkers for birds should be arranged.
How to attract them to the backyard?
Before attracting them to the backyard, be sure about their proper living areas, good food, water quality, and fewer stress factors in the surroundings. To attract these birds in your garden, one can install bird feeders containing tiny grains, and seeds including sunflower seeds, millet, barley, etc. For a comfortable environment for these birds, it is preferable to use a tube feeder or a hopper.
Installation of shallow birdbaths can help lark bunting to enjoy fresh clean water for drinking as well as bathing and cheering. Feeding and attracting them in the backyard is a better option as compared to owning them as a pet. These birds are not choosy about food items and the method of offering them food.
To attract these birds in the garden, fill a feeder with black oil sunflower seeds, corns, peanuts, and nuts. Place the feeder on a bar around the trough to make it accessible for them to eat from it. A feeder can be a tub, a tray, or an open area. Free swing feeders should be avoided because they are uncomfortable and unstable.
