Lark bunting

Every state recognizes the best fauna you'll find within their borders — and these animals are definitely worthy of their official titles.

Lark Bunting (Calamospiza melanocorys) Colorado State Bird

Colorado adopted the Lark Bunting as its state bird on April 29, 1931. The small, black-and-white-feathered bird arrives in Colorado in April. It spends the summer on the plains and at elevations of up to 8,000 feet before flying south in September.

Lark Bunting american sparrow native to central and western N. America; state bird of Colorado.

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The lark bunting is the official Colorado state bird. It was chosen for being native to Colorado and for its melodic songs.

CO State Bird Spurs Ornithological Controversy | USA TODAY Travel | http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/destinations/2013/07/11/colorado-state-bird-lark-bunting/2508613/

A characteristic bird of the open prairie grasslands and weed-filled pastures of southern Canada and the west-central United States, the lark bunting is a stocky, thick-billed finch. The male in breeding plumage is a black bird with conspicuous white wing patches, which are most noticeable in flight.

Lark Bunting

North America is home to many handsome sparrows, but Lark Buntings are among the most striking: breeding males are velvety black with snow-white wing coverts and fine white edges to the innermost flight feathers (the tertials). Females, immatures, and nonbreeding males are sandy brown but also have white in the wing, most apparent when the birds are flying. In their preferred grassland habitats, they feed among other sparrows or with quail, often near road edges and often in flocks.