Eastern Meadowlark

The Eastern Meadowlark is a chunky, ground-dwelling songbird of open grasslands, easily recognized by its bright lemon-yellow underparts marked with a bold black V across the chest. Despite the name and superficial resemblance to European starlings in shape, meadowlarks are actually members of the blackbird family (Icteridae), not true larks. The upperparts are cryptically patterned in brown, black, and buff, providing excellent camouflage in grass, while the head shows bold black-and-white stripes.

Eastern Meadowlarks are best known for their clear, whistled song, often described as sounding like "spring-of-the-year" and delivered from fence posts or utility wires across open farmland and prairie.

Key Field Marks

• Bright yellow throat and breast with a bold black V-shaped bib
• Streaked, mottled brown-and-black upperparts for camouflage in grass
• Short tail with white outer tail feathers, flashed conspicuously in flight
• Stout, straight bill and flat-headed profile
• Distinctive stiff-winged, fluttering flight low over fields

Similar Species

• Western Meadowlark is nearly identical in plumage but has a more yellow malar (cheek) area extending onto the face and a very different, more flute-like, gurgling song; ranges overlap in the Great Plains where identification by voice is most reliable.
• Range and habitat generally separate the two species, with Eastern favoring wetter, more easterly grasslands.

Habitat

Eastern Meadowlarks require open grassland habitats such as native prairie, hayfields, pastures, and airport grasslands, avoiding areas with dense shrubs or trees.

Range

Found across the eastern and central United States, extending into southeastern Canada, Mexico, and parts of Central and South America (as disjunct subspecies).

Migration

Northern populations are migratory, moving south for the winter, while populations in the southern and central United States are largely resident year-round.

Behavior

Eastern Meadowlarks walk and forage on the ground, often flicking their tail to flash white outer feathers. In flight they alternate several rapid, stiff wingbeats with short glides, a distinctive flight style shared with Western Meadowlark.

Voice

The song is a clear, slurred, flute-like whistle, often rendered as "spring-of-the-year" or "see-you, see-yeeer." Calls include a harsh, buzzy chatter and a distinctive dzert flight note.

Feeding

Forages mainly on the ground, probing soil and grass for insects such as grasshoppers, crickets, and caterpillars, and supplementing its diet with seeds and waste grain, especially in winter.

Nesting & Breeding

Females build a domed, grass-woven nest on the ground, often with a woven entrance tunnel, well hidden in dense grass. She incubates 3-5 eggs alone, and pairs may be monogamous or males may mate with more than one female.