Abstract

A ‘North American Horned Lark’ Eremophila alpestris alpestris/praticola/hoyti found on the Isles of Scilly in 2001 has been accepted by BBRC and BOURC as the first record for Britain. Little was known at the time about the identification of the North American forms compared to European-breeding Shore Larks E. a. flava. The subsequent appearance of two more North American Horned Larks – in the Outer Hebrides in 2014 and in Surrey in 2017 – not only showed the species’ ability to reach Britain but also furthered knowledge on the appearance of the North American forms. This paper documents the record from the Isles of Scilly, with notes on other records and identification of the North American forms as vagrants in Europe.