The Lark Bunting (*Calamospiza melanocorys*) is a striking sparrow-like bird of the North American grasslands, best known as the official state bird of Colorado, and notable for its strong seasonal plumage dimorphism in males: breeding males are almost entirely glossy black with bold white wing patches, while non-breeding males, females, and juveniles are streaky brown and buffy, resembling many other grassland sparrows. It has a stout, conical bill suited to a diet of seeds and insects, and is a highly social species, often seen foraging, migrating, and wintering in large flocks across open prairies, shortgrass plains, and sagebrush country of the central and western United States. During breeding season, males perform distinctive fluttering display flights, singing musical, buzzy songs to attract mates while defending territories in native grassland habitat, and the species nests on the ground in shallow, grass-lined scrapes hidden beneath vegetation. Once abundant across the Great Plains, Lark Bunting populations have experienced steep declines in recent decades, largely attributed to the loss and degradation of native grassland habitat due to agricultural conversion and land-use change.
