Western Meadowlark

The Western Meadowlark is a stocky, ground-loving grassland songbird nearly identical in appearance to its eastern counterpart, with a bright yellow breast crossed by a bold black V and camouflaged brown, black, and buff upperparts. It is best distinguished from the Eastern Meadowlark by its song and, more subtly, by slightly paler overall coloration and more yellow extending onto the malar (cheek) region.

Renowned for its rich, complex, flute-like song, the Western Meadowlark is the official state bird of six U.S. states, more than any other species, reflecting its familiarity and popularity across the American West and Great Plains.

Key Field Marks

• Bright yellow throat and breast with a bold black V-shaped bib
• Mottled brown, black, and buff upperparts providing camouflage
• White outer tail feathers flashed in flight
• Yellow extending slightly onto the cheek (malar) area, more so than Eastern Meadowlark
• Stiff-winged, fluttering flight low over open ground

Similar Species

• Eastern Meadowlark is nearly identical in plumage; the most reliable distinction is voice, with Western giving a more complex, gurgling, flute-like song versus the Eastern's clear, slurred whistle.
• Where ranges overlap on the Great Plains, hybridization is rare because the species recognize each other primarily by song.

Habitat

Western Meadowlarks inhabit open grasslands, prairies, agricultural fields, and sagebrush steppe, generally favoring drier habitats than the Eastern Meadowlark.

Range

Found throughout western and central North America, from southern Canada through the western and central United States into central Mexico.

Migration

Northern and high-elevation populations migrate south for winter, while many populations in milder regions are year-round residents.

Behavior

Western Meadowlarks forage on the ground, walking steadily through grass while probing for food, and often perch conspicuously on fence posts, shrubs, or utility wires to sing. Flight is a series of stiff, shallow wingbeats interspersed with short glides.

Voice

The song is a rich, complex, bubbling series of flute-like notes, often described as more melodious and varied than the Eastern Meadowlark's simpler whistle. A sharp chuck call is given year-round.

Feeding

Diet consists mainly of insects such as grasshoppers, crickets, and beetles during the breeding season, shifting to seeds and grain in fall and winter.

Nesting & Breeding

The female builds a domed, grass-woven ground nest, often with a roofed entrance tunnel, hidden within dense grass cover. She incubates 3-7 eggs alone; males are often polygynous, defending territories that may include more than one nesting female.