Curious About … Western Meadowlark?

If you’ve been out for an early morning walk in the past week, it is likely that you’ve heard the flute-y musical song of the Western Meadowlark advertising his personal real estate. Or maybe you’ve admired the brilliant yellow breast with the black “V” as a male perches on the tallest shrub in the area. Try using “All About Birds” as a free online identification guide for all birds in North America!

Male Western Meadowlarks arrive on their breeding territories up to four weeks before the females, often when snow is still on the ground. Males use their songs and postures on high perches to demark a physical territory where they will gather food, mate (often mating with two females), and rear young, and defend against intruding meadowlarks. This time of year, you can often hear several singing at the same time as they vocally clarify their space on the landscape.

Females arrive, quickly select a mate and then choose a nest site. Females seek a well concealed place on the ground, often under a clump of bluebunch wheatgrass. She builds a nest, weaving dried grass, flower stems, and fine bark (sagebrush bark is very shreddy), together and positioned with a good “runway” exit. Ground nesting songbirds are especially susceptible to nest predators that eat their eggs or hatchings. One good reason to keep dogs on a leash in the shrub-steppe is to prevent a non-native animal from being a nest predator!

Western meadowlarks are a good example of a horizontal bird posture. Take a look at the flattened head and low-angled slope of the forehead to beak. If you squint your eyes, the silhouette image is one you can easily recognize at a long distance. This species is about the same size as an American Robin, but chunkier, with a short, stiff, spiky tail and rounded shoulders than cover up the neck. These are the key features to notice to help identify a bird. If you’ve not yet using the free Merlin Bird ID app on your phone, download it now!

Cornell Lab of Ornithology has newly created video visualizations for Western Meadowlark annual migration routes. These maps are based on data collected by volunteer community scientists who enter sightings into eBird. By learning where long-distance migratory birds are during each month of the year, scientists can begin to understand habitat and conservation priorities to better protect each species.