Horned Lark

The horned lark is a distinctive lark on the ground: mainly brown-grey above and pale below, with a striking black and yellow face pattern. The tail is mostly black apart from the central feathers, and this contrast shows well in flight. In summer the male carries two small tufts of black feathers on the head, the 'horns' that give the species its North American name. More than forty subspecies are recognised, and the races differ mainly in the face pattern and back colour of males, especially in summer. (Wikipedia, general species account)

This is a bird of open ground. Across Eurasia it breeds above the tree line in mountains and in the far north, and it is mainly resident in the south of its range while northern populations migrate further south in winter. Males defend breeding territories and court by singing in circling flight above the female, then folding the wings and diving towards her. The female chooses the site, using a natural hollow or digging a cavity with her bill and feet before building the nest. (Wikipedia, general species account)