Feeding Behavior

Forages entirely by walking and running on the ground, picking up items from ground or from plants low enough to reach. Except when nesting, usually forages in flocks.

Eggs

3-4, sometimes 2-5. Pale gray to greenish white, blotched and spotted with brown. Incubation is by female, about 10-12 days. Young: Fed by both parents. Young may leave nest after 9-12 days, not able to fly for another week. 1 brood per year in far north, 2-3 farther south.

Young

Fed by both parents. Young may leave nest after 9-12 days, not able to fly for another week. 1 brood per year in far north, 2-3 farther south.

Diet

Seeds and insects. Feeds on small seeds from a great variety of grasses and weeds, also waste grain. Many insects are also eaten, especially in summer, when they may make up half of the total diet. Also eats some spiders and snails, and eats berries of low-growing plants in some regions.

Nesting

Often nests quite early in spring. Male defends nesting territory by singing, either on ground or in flight. In flight song display, male flies up steeply in silence, often to several hundred feet above ground, then hovers and circles for several minutes while singing; finally dives steeply toward the ground. Nest site is on open ground, often next to grass clump, piece of dried cow manure, or other object. Nest (built by female) is slight depression in ground, lined with grass, weeds, rootlets, with inner lining of fine grass or plant down. One side of nest often has flat "doorstep" of pebbles.