diff --git a/mongoengine/fields.py b/mongoengine/fields.py
index 24c5b569..8e8a97c8 100644
--- a/mongoengine/fields.py
+++ b/mongoengine/fields.py
@@ -263,6 +263,7 @@ class ListField(BaseField):
             raise ValidationError('Argument to ListField constructor must be '
                                   'a valid field')
         self.field = field
+        kwargs.setdefault("default", [])
         super(ListField, self).__init__(**kwargs)
 
     def __get__(self, instance, owner):