Horned Lark

Horned Lark (Eremophila alpestris) is a ground-dwelling lark with a black-and-yellow face pattern and small feather horns visible on breeding males. Body shape, bill structure, plumage pattern and voice provide the strongest field characters. Age, sex and season may alter its appearance, so identification should combine several features and careful direct field comparisons with similar species in the same habitat (Wikipedia, general species account).

It inhabits open tundra, steppe, alpine ground and shores across the Northern Hemisphere, feeding on seeds and insects and placing its nest in a shallow ground hollow. Its movements and social behaviour vary through the year, with breeding birds generally more dispersed and non-breeding birds gathering where food is concentrated. Japanese records place it within the country's documented avifauna as a resident, migrant or visitor (Wikipedia, general species account; Wildlife of Japan occurrence records).