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On open fields in winter, flocks of Horned Larks walk and run on the ground, examining the soil and stubble in search of seeds. If disturbed, the flock makes away in swift, twisting flight, making soft lisping callnotes. This species, the only native lark in North America, begins nesting very early in spring in those same barren fields, and the tinkling songs of the males come from high overhead as they perform their flight-song display. The 'horns' of the Horned Lark are little tufts of feathers, visible only at close range.

This is one of the most famous songbirds in the world, celebrated by British poets and naturalists. English settlers in North America tried repeatedly to introduce the skylark to this continent, but they succeeded only on southern Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Present since the early 1900s, there are still a few skylarks around the edges of Victoria, but they are gradually disappearing as development takes over their habitat.