Horned Lark
Horned LarkHorned LarkHorned LarkHorned Lark

Horned Lark

Eremophila alpestris

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered Endemic
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Saguaro National Park
365 Verified sightings at Saguaro National Park From 2019 to 2026
8,202 Verified sightings across all 40 parks From 2019 to 2026
December Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

About the Horned Lark

The horned lark or shore lark (Eremophila alpestris) is a species of lark in the family Alaudidae found across the northern hemisphere. It is known as "horned lark" in North America for distinctive feathers on the heads of the male birds in summer, and as "shore lark" in Europe because it can be found on shorelines in the winter.

The horned lark was formally described in 1758 by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae under the binomial name Alauda alpestris. Linnaeus based his account on the description and illustration by the English naturalist Mark Catesby in his book The Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands that was published between 1729 and 1732. Linnaeus specified the type locality as North America but this has been restricted to the coastal areas of South Carolina. The horned lark is now placed together with Temminck's lark in the genus Eremophila that was introduced in 1828 by the German naturalist Friedrich Boie. The specific epithet alpestris is Latin meaning "of the high mountains", from Alpes, the Alps. A molecular genetic study of the Alaudidae published in 2023 found that Temminck's lark (Eremophila... Wikipedia →

Closest Relatives at Saguaro National Park

Verdin
LC

Verdin

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Auriparus flaviceps

Daily sighting probability ~80% · Very likely
House Finch
LC Endemic

House Finch

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Haemorhous mexicanus

Daily sighting probability ~80% · Very likely
Lesser Goldfinch
LC

Lesser Goldfinch

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Spinus psaltria

Daily sighting probability ~70% · Very likely
Abert's Towhee
LC

Abert's Towhee

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Melozone aberti

Daily sighting probability ~60% · Likely
Vermilion Flycatcher
LC

Vermilion Flycatcher

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Pyrocephalus rubinus

Daily sighting probability ~50% · Likely
Curve-billed Thrasher
LC

Curve-billed Thrasher

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Toxostoma curvirostre

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely
Yellow-rumped Warbler
LC

Yellow-rumped Warbler

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Setophaga coronata

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely
Phainopepla
LC

Phainopepla

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Phainopepla nitens

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely
Cactus Wren
LC

Cactus Wren

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely
White-crowned Sparrow
LC

White-crowned Sparrow

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Zonotrichia leucophrys

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely
Northern Cardinal
LC Endemic

Northern Cardinal

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Cardinalis cardinalis

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely
Northern Mockingbird
LC

Northern Mockingbird

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Mimus polyglottos

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible

Global Distribution

Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.

where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is)  ·  parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Badlands National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~50%
2 Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park 🇲🇳 Mongolia
~40%
3 Death Valley National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
4 El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
~20%
5 Rocky Mountain National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
6 Channel Islands National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
7 Wadden Sea National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
~10%
8 Gros Morne National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
9 Jasper National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
10 Point Pelee National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
11 Grand Canyon National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
12 Kluane National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
13 Yellowstone National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
14 Wrangell-St. Elias National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
15 Grand Teton National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
16 Joshua Tree National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
17 Banff National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
18 Redwood National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
19 Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
20 Riding Mountain National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
21 Yosemite National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
22 Shenandoah National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
23 Olympic National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
24 Denali National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
25 Saguaro National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
26 Acadia National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
27 Zion National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
28 Glacier National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
29 Congaree National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
30 Great Bear Rainforest 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
31 Nahanni National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
Insufficient data
32 Wood Buffalo National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
Insufficient data
33 Gates of the Arctic National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data
34 Khangchendzonga National Park 🇮🇳 India
Insufficient data
35 Isle Royale National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data
36 Katmai National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data
37 Big Bend National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data
38 Kenai Fjords National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data
39 Biebrza National Park 🇵🇱 Poland
Insufficient data
40 Great Smoky Mountains National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Horned Lark in Saguaro National Park?

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Horned Lark sighting in Saguaro National Park, based on 365 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Horned Lark in Saguaro National Park?

December has the highest sighting rate for Horned Lark in Saguaro National Park in our monthly data.

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