Breeding male lark buntings are strikingly marked in black and white (especially in flight), but have a brownish streaky appearance in winter, as in some of these birds.  The large white patch in the wing is a good field mark for both sexes at any time of year.   I took these photos on the Pawnee Grasslands in northeastern Colorado (breeding birds), in the Sulphur Springs Valley south of Wilcox, Arizona, and near Green Valley, Arizona.

• Canon 1D Mk. II or 1D4; 500 mm IS lens plus 2X converter or 800 mm IS lens plus 1.4X converter, fill-in flash on some images (2006, 2011, 2012, 2014)