The Western Meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta) is a common and conspicuous bird found across much of North America west of the Mississippi River. This ground-nesting bird with a vibrant yellow breast crossed by a distinctive, black, V-shaped band, inhabits open country from natural and planted grasslands of the Northern Great Plains to tidal flats along the Pacific Ocean, and from sea level to mountain meadows at 3700 meters. Although the Western Meadowlark was known to explorers Lewis and Clark, John James Audubon was impressed with the degree to which it had subsequently been overlooked and gave the bird its Latin name (Sturnella neglecta).
Identification and Habitat
The Western Meadowlark, about nine inches long, has a brown and black back and wings and a bright yellow chest with a black V on it. The meadowlark's colors may be a little duller in winter. It has a long pointed bill. The western meadowlark is very similar to the eastern meadowlark. The western meadowlark's yellow color extends a little further onto its cheek. The songs of the two meadowlarks are the easiest way to tell them apart. The song of the western meadowlark is a series of flute-like gurgling notes that go down the scale.
Look for the abundant Western Meadowlark foraging in open grasslands, meadows and fields of low-growing vegetation, or along marshes and road edges with sparse cover. In winter you may see them in mixed flocks with other blackbirds and starlings. During the breeding season, males sing from the tops of fence posts and shrubs, or perch on fences and powerlines.
The Western Meadowlark lives in meadows, plains, prairies and other open grasslands.
Historical Context and Research
Audubon's report (Audubon 1844) of a meadowlark west of the Mississippi similar in appearance but differing in voice from the familiar Eastern Meadowlark (S. magna) triggered a debate over the status of these birds that lasted for another century. Studies of their morphology, ecology, and behavior in regions of sympatry from Texas to Ontario revealed little or no evidence of interbreeding and one of the first cases of interspecific territoriality among North American birds. Although a gifted songster, the Western Meadowlark is not a lark (Family Alaudidae) but related instead to New World blackbirds and troupials (Family Icteridae).
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Key studies of Western Meadowlarks have been conducted by Bryant (Bryant 1914a) on the diet of the species in California. Interestingly the study arose in response to pressure by grain-growers to have the species designated a “pest” due to its impact on crops. At the same time, its insectivorous habit was also well known and it was recognized that the species could play a role in controlling harmful invertebrates. Lanyon conducted key studies of natural history (Lanyon 1953, Lanyon 1957), distribution (Lanyon 1956a, Lanyon 1962), and hybridization (Lanyon 1966, Lanyon 1979b). Further work by Rowher (Rohwer 1972a, Rohwer 1972b, Rohwer 1973a) advanced our knowledge on the distribution and hybridization of Eastern and Western Meadowlarks in the Great Plains. Falls and colleagues have revealed many aspects of the structure and function of the meadowlark's beautiful and unique song (Falls and Krebs 1975, Falls and d'Agincourt 1981, Falls and d'Agincourt 1982, Falls 1985, and Falls et al. 1988, Horn and Falls 1988b, Horn and Falls 1988a, Horn and Falls 1991, Horn et al. 1993), and a number of researchers have provided insight into the habitat requirements and demography of Western Meadowlarks in the US (Rotenberry and Wiens 1980a, Johnson and Temple 1990, Koford et al. 2000, Johnson and Igl 2001, Johnson and Schwartz 1993a) and Canada (Owens and Myres 1973, Davis and Sealy 2000, McMaster and Davis 2001, Davis 2003d, Davis 2004c, Davis et al.
Breeding and Nesting Behavior
Like many grassland birds such as the Bobolink, the Western Meadowlark is polygynous, which means that a single male will have two or three mates at the same time. The male defends a territory, while females select nest sites, build nests, incubate the clutch of five to six eggs, then care for the young after they hatch and until they fledge. Meadowlarks typically raise two broods a year.
The male meadow lark uses visual display behaviors to attract a mate. When he finds a female that he wants to mate with, he points his bill in the air, puffs out his yellow throat and flaps his wings above his head. If that doesn't get the female's attention, he hops up and down.
The nest of a Western Meadowlark is a well-camouflaged domed structure of grasses, woven into surrounding vegetation on the ground. Some females even add a grass-covered ramp or tunnel leading to their nests. These unique tunnels can be up to several feet long! If disturbed, the female will run some distance away from her nest before flushing, in an effort to conceal the nest's location.
The western meadowlark builds its nest on the ground. The female finds a depression in the ground and shapes it by digging in the dirt with her bill. She lines the depression with soft grass and makes a roof by pulling grass and plants over the depression. She then weaves in grass to make a waterproof dome, leaving enough space for an opening. The female lays between three and seven eggs. It takes about 12 days for the eggs to hatch. The meadowlark usually has two broods a year. The male protects the nest by noisily chasing intruders away. The male meadowlark arrives at the breeding ground a couple of weeks before the female. It likes to perch on fences, poles and wires to claim and guard its territory. A male's home range is usually about six or seven acres. If another male invades his territory, he may get into a fight with the intruder. Fighting meadowlarks lock their feet together and peck at each other with their beaks.
Read also: Behavior of Western Fence Lizards
Nest: Placed on the ground, in areas with dense cover of grass, in a small hollow or depression in the ground. Nest (built by female) is a domed structure with the entrance on the side, made of grass stems interwoven with the surrounding growth. Usually has narrow trails or "runways" leading to nest through the grass. 3-7, usually about 5. White, heavily spotted with brown and purple, especially at larger end. Incubation is by female, about 13-15 days. Both parents feed nestlings (but female does more). Young leave the nest after about 12 days, before they are able to fly, and are tended by parents for at least another 2 weeks. 2 broods per year.
Dietary Habits
The Western Meadowlark's diet varies with the seasons, consisting mostly of grains in winter and early spring, insects throughout the breeding season, and weed seeds in the fall.
Forages by walking on the ground, taking insects and seeds from the ground and from low plants. Often probes in the soil with its bill. In winter, usually forages in flocks. Mostly insects and seeds. The majority of the Western Meadowlark's diet consists of insects, especially in summer, when it eats many beetles, grasshoppers, crickets, caterpillars, ants, true bugs, and others; also spiders, snails, sowbugs. Seeds and waste grain make up about one-third of annual diet, and are eaten especially in fall and winter.
Like its eastern counterpart, this species forages for its food on the ground, using its long, strong beak to reach into grass tussocks and to probe underground for insects and seeds. While probing, the meadowlark inserts its closed bill into the ground or a grass clump, then pries open its mandibles to access its food. This behavior, known as gaping, is seen in other members of the blackbird family (Icteridae), including the Common Grackle. European Starlings also gape when feeding on the ground, especially on lawns.
Range and Migration
The Western Meadowlark is a short-distance migrator. Its breeding range stretches from British Columbia, northern Michigan, and northwestern Ohio south to Missouri, central Texas and northern Mexico. Northern populations mouth south in the fall. and Canadian populations migrate to winter as far south as the dry grasslands of northern Mexico, where they join other wintering birds such as the Thick-billed Longspur, Horned Lark, and Long-billed Curlew.
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In the central United States, the Western Meadowlark's range broadly overlaps that of the Eastern Meadowlark, although the two species rarely hybridize. In some parts of the Southwest, the Western Meadowlark overlaps range with the newly named Chihuahuan Meadowlark, which had formerly been considered an isolated Eastern Meadowlark population. Meadowlarks found in grassland habitats across much of the state. also found in and around cropland areas, but not in the same numbers.
Conservation Status
Although the Western Meadowlark remains common in many places, it's still a species in trouble. Over the last 50 years, its population has fallen by more than 40 percent due to habitat loss, pesticide use, and human activities such as haying, which, if done during peak nesting season, can wipe out grassland bird broods. As habitat on both breeding and wintering grounds disappears, grassland species have become one of the fastest-declining suites of birds in North America.
ABC is working to conserve and restore critical grassland habitats that the Western Meadowlark needs to survive. Our BirdScapes program works to conserve habitats that migratory birds require during different times of year. We also continue advocating for the cancellation of dangerous pesticides that threaten insect-eating birds.
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