Lark Sparrow
Lark Sparrow has increased: up 42% on the route-weighted index since 1968.
About the Lark Sparrow
The Lark Sparrow (Chondestes grammacus) is a North American member of the New World Sparrows (Passerellidae). In this analysis it is grouped with the grassland birds.
- Size
- 4.5–7.5 in long (12–19 cm) — a small songbird (typical for the family)
- Habitat
- Open grasslands, prairie, pasture and hayfields.
- Diet
- Seeds and insects gathered from grasses and the ground.
- Range
- Recorded on 1,818 Breeding Bird Survey routes across 30 states, most concentrated in the Great Basin.
- Family
- Passerellidae · Grassland birds
Notable Lark Sparrow Trends
No notable trend signals for Lark Sparrow. See the full index history below.
Lark Sparrow Population Forecast
If the recent trend holds, Lark Sparrow is projected to stay roughly flat through 2029, near 2.2 (95% range 1.4–3.0). A 5-year backtest shows a typical error of ±8.3%, with 100% of held-out values landing inside the 95% band.
| Year | Projected index | 95% low | 95% high |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2.2 | 1.4 | 3.0 |
| 2026 | 2.2 | 1.4 | 3.0 |
| 2027 | 2.2 | 1.4 | 3.0 |
| 2028 | 2.2 | 1.4 | 3.0 |
| 2029 | 2.2 | 1.4 | 3.0 |
Where the Lark Sparrow Is Detected
BBS routes recording Lark Sparrow, sized by most recent count.
Lark Sparrow Population Trend by State
| Alabama | +68% | 1987 | 12 |
| Arizona | -69% | 1970 | 64 |
| Arkansas | -63% | 1969 | 39 |
| California | -50% | 1970 | 175 |
| Colorado | +207% | 1970 | 130 |
| Idaho | +23% | 1972 | 43 |
| Illinois | -77% | 1968 | 66 |
| Indiana | -38% | 1980 | 18 |
| Iowa | +197% | 1969 | 31 |
| Kansas | +75% | 1969 | 67 |
| Kentucky | -79% | 1968 | 18 |
| Louisiana | -74% | 1969 | 22 |
| Minnesota | +47% | 1970 | 24 |
| Mississippi | +239% | 1978 | 6 |
| Missouri | -24% | 1969 | 73 |
| Montana | -56% | 1970 | 73 |
| Nebraska | +219% | 1969 | 73 |
| Nevada | +819% | 1970 | 39 |
| New Mexico | +195% | 1970 | 83 |
| North Dakota | +348% | 1969 | 46 |
| Ohio | insufficient data | n/a | 2 |
| Oklahoma | -9% | 1969 | 68 |
| Oregon | +10% | 1970 | 73 |
| South Dakota | +12% | 1969 | 55 |
| Tennessee | +184% | 1968 | 15 |
| Texas | -65% | 1969 | 226 |
| Utah | +300% | 1970 | 102 |
| Washington | +939% | 1970 | 44 |
| Wisconsin | +120% | 1972 | 18 |
| Wyoming | -3% | 1970 | 113 |
Lark Sparrow Population Trend by Region
Bird Conservation Regions are the ecological unit for trends.
| Northern Pacific Rainforest | -95% | 1970 | 21 |
| Great Basin | +163% | 1970 | 207 |
| Northern Rockies | +61% | 1970 | 126 |
| Prairie Potholes | +244% | 1969 | 89 |
| Boreal Hardwood Transition | +62% | 1985 | 8 |
| Sierra Nevada | -76% | 1973 | 18 |
| Southern Rockies / Colorado Plateau | +2% | 1970 | 202 |
| Badlands and Prairies | +13% | 1969 | 132 |
| Shortgrass Prairie | +2% | 1969 | 132 |
| Central Mixed Grass Prairie | +18% | 1969 | 129 |
| Edwards Plateau | -64% | 1969 | 20 |
| Oaks and Prairies | -73% | 1969 | 74 |
| Eastern Tallgrass Prairie | +77% | 1968 | 177 |
| Prairie Hardwood Transition | +91% | 1972 | 22 |
| Central Hardwoods | -75% | 1968 | 83 |
| West Gulf Coastal Plain / Ouachitas | -84% | 1969 | 68 |
| Mississippi Alluvial Valley | +241% | 1974 | 18 |
| Southeastern Coastal Plain | +180% | 1969 | 21 |
| Coastal California | -46% | 1970 | 103 |
| Sonoran and Mojave Deserts | +54% | 1970 | 43 |
| Sierra Madre Occidental | -12% | 1970 | 29 |
| Chihuahuan Desert | -26% | 1969 | 47 |
| Tamaulipan Brushlands | -22% | 1969 | 28 |
| Gulf Coastal Prairie | -76% | 1969 | 19 |
Lark Sparrow Conservation Status
Our route-weighted index shows it up about 42% since 1968. Grassland birds are North America's steepest-declining group, down roughly 50% since 1970 as prairie and pasture were lost.
Source: USGS North American Breeding Bird Survey, retrieved 2026-05-22. Trend is a route-weighted relative-abundance index, not an absolute population.