Eremophila alpestris

• Common Names
• Description
• Biology
• Taxonomy
• Similar Species
• More Info
• Further Reading
• Notes

Common Names

Click on the language to view common names.

Description

Physical Description

Habitat

Usually seen in agricultural fields and pastures, and on sandy beaches.

Vegetation: northern temperate grasslands, arid lowland scrubs, pastures and agricultural lands, arid lowland scrubs • Maximum Elevation: 3,750 meters • Foraging Strata: Terrestrial • Center of Abundance: Upper subtropical: higher slopes, 500-1,600 m.; subtropics. • Sensitivity to Disturbancet: Low

Typically found at an altitude of 0 to 5,106 meters (0 to 16,752 feet).[1]

Ecology: List of Habitats : 3.5 Shrubland - Subtropical/Tropical Dry 4.4 Grassland - Temperate 14.2 Artificial/Terrestrial - Pastureland

Biology

Diet

Primarily: Seeds. Lesser Quantities of: Insects.

Reproduction

Nests from March to July.

• Breeding Habitat : Grassland
• Nest Location: Ground-low nesting
• Nest Type: Open-cup
• Clutch Size: 3-5
• Length of Incubation : 11-12 days
• Days to Fledge : 9-12
• Number of Broods: 1 in north, 2(3?) in south

Migration

Migratory

Taxonomy

Notes

Name Status: Accepted Name . Latest taxonomic scrutiny: 17-Oct-2001.

Similar Species

American Pipit

Members of the genus Eremophila

There are approximately 66 species in this genus:

E. alpestris (Northern Horned Lark) · E. alpestris actia (California Horned Lark) · E. alpestris adusta (Horned Lark) · E. alpestris albigula · E. alpestris alpestris (Northern Horned Lark) · E. alpestris alpina (Horned Lark) · E. alpestris ammophila (Horned Lark) · E. alpestris aphrasta · E. alpestris arcticola (Horned Lark) · E. alpestris argalea · E. alpestris atlas · E. alpestris balcanica · E. alpestris bicornis · E. alpestris brandti · E. alpestris chrysolaema · E. alpestris diaphora · E. alpestris elwesi · E. alpestris enertera (Horned Lark) · E. alpestris enthymia (Horned Lark) · E. alpestris flava · E. alpestris giraudi (Horned Lark) · E. alpestris hoyti (Horned Lark) · E. alpestris insularis (Horned Lark) · E. alpestris khamensis · E. alpestris kumerloevi · E. alpestris lamprochroma (Horned Lark) · E. alpestris leucansiptila (Horned Lark) · E. alpestris leucanspitila · E. alpestris leucolaema (Horned Lark) · E. alpestris longirostris · E. alpestris merrilli (Horned Lark) · E. alpestris nigrifrons · E. alpestris oaxacae · E. alpestris occidentalis (Horned Lark) · E. alpestris penicillata · E. alpestris peregrina · E. alpestris praticola (Horned Lark) · E. alpestris rubea (Horned Lark) · E. alpestris sierrae (Horned Lark) · E. alpestris ssp · E. alpestris strigata (Streaked Horned Lark) · E. alpestris teleschowi · E. alpestris utahensis (Horned Lark) · E. bignoniflora · E. bilopha (Temminck's Horned Lark) · E. brandti · E. caerulea merrallii · E. compacta fecunda · E. debile · E. densifolia capitata · E. densifolia pubiflora · E. divaricata divaricata · E. flaccida attenuata · E. gibbifolia · E. glabra chlorella · E. hughesii hughesii · E. hughesii sanguinensis · E. mackinlayi spathulata · E. maculata brevifolia · E. nigriceps melanauchen · E. pachomai · E. platycalyx platycalyx · E. pterocarpa acicularis · E. spectabilis brevis · E. subfloccosa glandulosa · E. subfloccosa lanata

More Info

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Further Reading

• A bibliography of birds: with special reference to anatomy, behavior, biochemistry --. by Reuben Myron Strong Chicago: Field Museum of Natural History, 1946 UND url p. 444, p. 67.
• A check list of North American birds. Boston: Estes and Lauriat, 1882. ENG url p. 157, p. 32.
• A checklist of the vertebrate animals of Kansas / George D. Potts, Joseph T. Collins. [Lawrence, Kan.]: Museum of Natural History, University of Kansas, 1991. ENG url p. 14.
• A hand-list of British birds, with an account of the distribution of each species in the British Isles and abroad. By Ernst Hartert, F. C. R. Jourdain, N. F. Ticehurst and H. F. Withersby. London, Witherby, 1912. ENG url p. 32.
• A history of North American birds, by S.F. Baird, T.M. Brewer, and R. Ridgway. Land birds, illustrated by 64 chromo-lithographic plates and 593 woodcuts. Boston, Little, Brown, 1875. ENG url p. 139, p. 141.
• A history of the birds of Colorado, by William Lutley Sclater London, Witherby and co., 1912. ENG url p. 279.
• A review of the birds of Connecticut. By C. Hart Merriam. New Haven, Tuttle, Morehouse and Taylor, Printers, 1877. ENG url p. 11, p. 142, p. 144.
• Acta Soc. pro Fauna et Flora Fennica. Helsinki, Societas. ENG url p. 118, p. 18, p. 242, p. 27, p. 32, p. 33, p. 40, p. 44, p. 54, p. 71.
• Alsop, Fred J. III. Birds of North America - Eastern Region. First American Edition. Smithsonian Handbooks. DK Publishing, Inc. 2001.
• Anglo-russkii biologicheskii slovar' / [avtory, I. N. Afanas'eva et al.; spetsial'nye nauch. redaktory, O. I. Chibisova i L. A. Koziar]. Moskva: Russkii iazyk, 1979. ENG url p. 353.
• Animal Ecology. Englewood Cliffs, N.J., Prentice-Hall, 1961. ENG url p. 457.
• Annual report of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution. Washington: Smithsonian Institution, -1965. ENG url p. 132, p. 154, p. 86, p. 86.
• Aquila. Budapest: A Magyar Ornithologiai Knt Kiadva, 1894- HUN url p. 93.
• Archiv für Naturgeschichte. Berlin: Nicolai, 1835- GER url p. 345.
• Ardea. [Amsterdam, etc., Nederlandse Ornithlogische Unie, etc.] ENG url p. 131, p. 195.
• Banks, R. C., R. W. McDiarmid, A. L. Gardner, and W. C. Starnes 2003. Checklist of Vertebrates of the United States, the U.S. Territories, and Canada.
• Berichte des "Vereins Schlesischer Ornithologen" Breslau [i.e. Wroclaw]: Der Verein, GER url p. 8.
• BirdLife International. 2000. Threatened Birds of the World. Lynx Edicions and BirdLife International, Barcelona, Spain and Cambridge, U.K.
• BirdLife International. 2004 Threatened Birds of the World 2004. CD-ROM. BirdLife International, Cambridge, U.K.
• Birds of the Colorado Valley: a repository of scientific and popular information concerning North American ornithology / by Elliott Coues. Washington: G.P.O., 1878. ENG url p. 186, p. 187, p. 188, p. 688.
• Birds of the Northwest: a hand-book of the ornithology of the region drained by the Missouri River and its tributaries / by Elliott Coues. Washington: Govt. Print. Off., 1874. ENG url p. 37, p. 38, p. 39.
• Brigham Young University science bulletin. Provo, Utah: Brigham Young University, [1955-1976] ENG url p. 2, p. 21, p. 29, p. 29, p. 3, p. 3, p. 32.
• Bulletin - United States National Museum. Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press, [etc.];1877-1971. ENG url p. 112, p. 177, p. 259, p. 263, p. 268, p. 30, p. 301, p. 302, p. 303, p. 305, p. 306, p. 307, p. 308, p. 309, p. 310, p. 312, p. 314, p. 316, p. 317, p. 319, p. 320, p. 321, p. 322, p. 323, p. 324, p. 325, p. 58, p. 64, p. 69, p. 936, p. 948.
• Bulletin / Peabody Museum of Natural History. New Haven: The Museum, ENG url p. 183, p. 48.
• Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History). London: BM(NH) ENG url p. 159, p. 237, p. 269, p. 358.
• Bulletin of the Essex Institute. Salem, Mass., Essex Institute. ENG url p. 11, p. 12, p. 13, p. 152, p. 172, p. 183, p. 32, p. 37, p. 46, p. 47, p. 49, p. 92.
• Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard College. Cambridge, Mass.: The Museum, ENG url p. 127, p. 133, p. 135, p. 142, p. 143, p. 145, p. 149, p. 156, p. 167, p. 176, p. 410, p. 426, p. 620, p. 637, p. 650.
• Bulletin of the Nuttall Ornithological Club. Cambridge, Mass.: The Club, [1876-1883] ENG url p. 163, p. 165, p. 189, p. 201, p. 203, p. 211, p. 223, p. 248, p. 54, p. 81, p. 92.
• Catalogue of birds of the Americas and the adjacent islands in Field Museum of Natural History. by Charles E. Hellmayr. Chicago: Field Museum of Natural History, 1935. ENG url p. 3.
• Catalogue of scientific papers, 1800-1900. Compiled by the Royal Society of London. London, C.J. Clay and Sons, 1867-1902 [etc.] Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1914-25. ENG url p. 408, p. 503.
• Catalogue of the Birds in the British Museum. London, 1874-98. ENG url p. 538, p. 540, p. 542, p. 546, p. 549.
• Catalogue of the Collection of Birds' Eggs in the British Museum / By E. W. Oates [and afterwards] by S. G. Reid [and] W. R. Ogilvie-Grant. London, 1901-12. ENG url p. 114.
• Check-list and bibliography on the occurrence of insects in birds' nests. Ames, Iowa State College Press[1959] ENG url p. 667.
• Dickinson, E.C. (Editor) (2003): The Howard and Moore Complete Check-List of the Birds of the World, edition 3rd Edition, Christopher Helm
• Ehrlich, P., Dobkin, D., and Wheye, D. (1988). The Birders Handbook: A Field Guide to the Natural History of North American Birds. New York: Simon and Schuster Inc. (info on clutch size, length of incubation, days to fledge and number of broods.)
• Elements of zoölogy: a textbook / by Sanborn Tenney; illustrated by 750 wood engravings. New York: Scribner, c1875. ENG url p. 161.
• Fauna och flora: populr tidskrift fr biologi. Uppsala: Almqvist and Wiksells, 1906-1967; SWE url p. 219.
• Field ornithology. Comprising a manual of instruction for procuring, preparing and preserving birds, and a check list of North American birds, by Elliott Coues. Salem [Mass.]Naturalists' Agency, 1874. ENG url p. 15.
• Fishery bulletin of the Fish and Wildlife Service. Washington, The Service, U.S. Govt Print. Off. ENG url p. 533.
• Fishery circular / U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Fisheries. [Washington]: The Bureau, 1931-1939. ENG url p. 88.
• Great Basin naturalist memoirs. [Provo, Utah]Brigham Young University, 1976-1992. ENG url p. 129, p. 155, p. 213, p. 217, p. 219, p. 220, p. 221, p. 222, p. 228, p. 265, p. 78.
• Katalog der Collection von Erlanger in Nieder-Ingelheim a. Rh. Berlin, R. Friedlander und Sohn, 1908. GER url p. 112.
• Key to North American birds. Containing a concise account of every species of living and fossil bird at present known from the continent north of the Mexican and United States boundary, inclusive of Greenland and lower California Boston, Estes and Lauriat, 1890. ENG url p. 868.
• Le Gerfaut = De Giervalk. Bruxelles, Institut royal des sciences naturelles de Belgique. DUT url p. 54.
• Memoirs of the San Diego Society of Natural History. San Diego, Calif.: The Society, 1931- ENG url p. 137, p. 252, p. 269.
• Memoirs read before the Boston Society of Natural History. Boston[Boston Society of Natural History]1862-1878. ENG url p. 496, p. 502, p. 505.
• Michigan bird life: a list of all the bird species known to occur in the State together with an outline of their classification and an account of the life history of each species, with special reference to its relation t by Walter Bradford Barrows. Lansing: Michigan Agricultural College, 1912. ENG url p. 407, p. 766, p. 802.
• Miscellaneous publication - University of Kansas, Museum of Natural History. Lawrence, University of Kansas, 1946-1996. ENG url p. 167, p. 28, p. 35, p. 37, p. 85, p. 86.
• Novitates Zoologicae. London. url p. 200, p. 501.
• Occasional papers of the Museum of Natural History, the University of Kansas. Lawrence, Kansas: The University, 1971-1994. ENG url p. 13.
• Ornithological bibliography. [Washington: Geological Survey [etc.], 1878-1880. ENG url p. 647, p. 648, p. 649, p. 650.
• Ornithologisches Jahrbuch. Hallein: V. Tschusi, 1890-1918. GER url p. 27.
• Ornithologist and oist. Pawtucket, R.I. ENG url p. 4.
• Our birds in their haunts: a popular treatise on the birds of Eastern North America / by J. Hibbert Langille. Boston, S. E. Cassino, 1884. ENG url p. 10.
• Our living resources: a report to the nation on the distribution, abundance, and health of U.S. plants, animals, and ecosystems / [edited by], Edward T. LaRoe [et al.]. Washington, DC: U.S. Dept. of the Interior, National Biological Service, 1995. ENG url p. 297, p. 303.
• Pacific coast avifauna / Cooper Ornithological Club of California. Santa Clara, Calif.: The Club, 1900-1974. ENG url p. 44, p. 86.
• Postilla. New Haven, Peabody Museum of Natural History, 1950-2004. ENG url p. 29.
• Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. [Philadelphia, Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia] ENG url p. 519, p. 97.
• Proceedings of the United States National Museum. Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press, [etc.] ENG url p. 423, p. 499.
• Report upon United States Geographical surveys west of the one hundredth meridian, in charge of First Lieut. Geo. M. Wheeler [...] under the direction of the chief of engineers, U.S. Army. Published by authority of [...] the secretary of war in accordanc Washington: Govt. print. off., 1875-89. ENG url p. 309, p. 310, p. 981.
• Robbins, C.S., Bruun, B., Zim, H.S., (1966). Birds of North America. New York: Western Publishing Company, Inc. (Length and wingspan info.)
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Notes

Contributors

• BirdLife International 2004. In IUCN 2008. 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCNRedList.org. Downloaded July 18, 2008.
• Bisby, F.A., Y.R. Roskov, M.A. Ruggiero, T.M. Orrell, L.E. Paglinawan, P.W. Brewer, N. Bailly, J. van Hertum, eds (2007). Species 2000 and ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2007 Annual Checklist. Species 2000: Reading, U.K.
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Accessed November 26, 2007. http://www.gbif.org Mediated distribution data from 18 providers.
• Peterson, Alan P. Zoological Nomenclature Resource. Accessed June 19, 2009.

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal November 26, 2007:

• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility, North West Territories and Nunavut Bird Checklist, Canada
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility, Provincial Museum of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada. Birds
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility, Royal British Columbia Museum

Identifiers

• Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 3849540
• Catalogue of Life Accepted Name Code: ITS-554256
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility Taxonkey: 13544136
• Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) Taxonomic Serial Number (TSN): 554256
• IUCN ID: 52913
• Natural Heritage Network Species Identifier: ABPAT02010
• Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 13087

Footnotes

1. Mean = 529.760 meters (1,738.058 feet), Standard Deviation = 666.090 based on 15,232 observations. Altitude information for each observation from British Oceanographic Data Centre. [back]

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