Lark Bunting State Bird of Colorado

Reviewed byClara WhitcombReader-facing editorial lead · Updated Apr 25, 2026

State profile

Why the Lark Bunting fits Colorado

The Lark Bunting feels like a natural fit for Colorado because it belongs to the shortgrass prairie, high plains, and open ranch country east of the mountains. Whether you notice it around Pawnee National Grassland or in an ordinary neighborhood yard, the species reflects the parts of Colorado people actually see and hear, not a remote corner of the map.

Quick Answer

The state bird of Colorado is the Lark Bunting (Calamospiza melanocorys), designated in 1931.

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Why Colorado Chose the Lark Bunting

Colorado designated the Lark Bunting in 1931 because of its prairie-centered identity and the way its white-winged display fits Colorado's open eastern grasslands. It was a practical symbolic choice: familiar to residents, visible across much of the state, and easy to connect with local schools, gardens, farms, parks, or conservation culture.

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About the Lark Bunting

Breeding males turn mostly black with a bright white wing patch, while females and nonbreeding birds look streaked and sparrowlike but still long-winged and elegant. In Colorado, it looks especially at home across the shortgrass prairie, high plains, and open ranch country east of the mountains.

They favor open prairie, sing from shrubs or fence posts, and nest on the ground in grasslands with enough structure to hide a nest. It uses shortgrass prairie, mixed-grass rangeland, and open agricultural grassland well, which helps explain why the bird feels familiar well beyond protected areas.

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Where to See the Lark Bunting in Colorado

In Colorado, start with Pawnee National Grassland, Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge, and Comanche National Grassland. Scan low shrubs and fence lines for a singing bird that flashes a white wing patch in flight. Late spring and early summer are best because display flights and territorial singing make the species far easier to find. These kinds of places match the bird's preferred mix of shortgrass prairie, mixed-grass rangeland, and open agricultural grassland.

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Conservation

The Lark Bunting is currently listed as LC. Lark Buntings still define many prairie landscapes, but grassland conversion, drought, and heavy disturbance around nest sites can suppress local breeding success.

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Explore the collection

All 50 State Birds

All 50 US states have designated official state birds. The most commonly chosen are the Northern Cardinal and the Western Meadowlark.

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Black-capped Chickadee

Scissor-tailed Flycatcher

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FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Colorado state bird?

Good starting points include Pawnee National Grassland, Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge, and Comanche National Grassland. Scan low shrubs and fence lines for a singing bird that flashes a white wing patch in flight.

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Source citations

How this state-bird page is sourced

State-bird pages separate official-symbol facts, bird data, and editorial prose so a correction can target the right layer.

State designation facts from the KTP state-bird data contract and page data.
Taxonomy, measurements, family, and conservation fields from structured pipeline data.
Editorial prose reviewed against KTP rules for no invented numbers and no field-certainty claims from generated art.

Correction log

Official state-symbol details are corrected at the state-bird data source, then republished into PAGE_DATA.
Bird measurements, family labels, and conservation fields are corrected in the structured species pipeline rather than patched in prose.
Generated prose is revised only after the owning data fields and section contract are confirmed.

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