The Eastern Meadowlark is one of two meadowlark species found in the United States and Canada. Sign up for ABC's eNews to learn how you can help protect birds. Breeding birds are bright yellow below with a black V on the chest. Overgrazing of pastures and pesticides also threaten meadowlarks. There are at least 16 Eastern Meadowlark subspecies, four of which are found in the United States. Eastern Meadowlarks are pale brown marked with black, with bright-yellow underparts and a bold black V across the chest. Its song, isolated breeding range, and habitat (desert grasslands) differ from other northern subspecies, and recent genetic analysis seems to reveal a marked divergence from these populations. Sturnella magna. CR Courson has uploaded 1464 photos to Flickr. If all goes well, a meadowlark pair raises two broods each year. Sings from exposed perches such as treetops, fenceposts, and utility lines. In flight, the meadowlark looks chunky and shows white outer tail feathers. Note yellow throat bordered by a white mustache. Slightly larger but more compact than an American Robin; smaller than a Blue Jay. The Eastern Meadowlark is found from southeastern Canada through the northernmost tier of South American countries. In warm weather, Eastern Meadowlarks eat invertebrates they find lurking in the grasses, including grasshoppers, crickets, katydids, beetles and grubs, caterpillars, ants, and spiders. Meadowlarks belong to the family Icteridae, which includes blackbirds, cowbirds, grackles, and orioles, including Baltimore and Audubon's Orioles. One of these extends into Canada. Eastern Meadowlarks walk on the ground, often concealed by grasses or crops. Preens and stretches frequently in the morning or following incubation. It occurs from eastern North America to South America, where it is also most widespread in the east. Our site uses cookies to collect anonymous information about your use of our website. Duller plumage in winter, blending into grasses even more. The eastern meadowlark (Sturnella magna) is a medium-sized icterid bird, very similar in appearance to the western meadowlark. In winter you may see flocks of meadowlarks hunting insects in fields. Donate to ABC to change the story for birds! Though most of the tail is brown with blackish barring, the outer feathers are white and conspicuous during flight. The Eastern Meadowlark … Despite the range overlap, the two species rarely interbreed. One of these extends into Canada. This information is used to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. Fallow fields, for example, not only rest the soil – they provide ideal habitat for the Eastern Meadowlark as well as the Vesper Sparrow, Henslow's Sparrow, Dickcissel, and many other grassland birds. These large grasslands are home to many unique and fascinating species. Photo Courtesy of the United States Geological Survey. Their flight is a distinctive sequence of rapid fluttering and short glides, usually low to the ground. The Western Meadowlark ranges no farther than central Mexico, but the Eastern Meadowlark inhabits much of that country, as well as Central America, and northern South America, from Colombia east to far-northern Brazil. Listen for The eastern meadowlark’s sweet whistled song—spring of THE Description. Eastern Meadowlarks live in farm fields, grasslands, and wet fields. Don’t overlook such surprises as Bobolinks, American Kestrels, Savannah Sparrows, Eastern … In breeding season, the female Eastern Meadowlark crafts a domed nest of grasses, placed on the ground under thick cover. Some experts believe that the pal… An estimated 65 percent of the Eastern Meadowlark population occurs in the United States and Canada, where populations are believed to have declined by 77 percent between 1970 and 2014. Some scientists believe that the southwestern form is actually a different species. While the jury's still out on Lilian's Meadowlark, the other sure-fire species – the Western Meadowlark – is very similar to the Eastern, but has a different song and call. Bill is as long as the head and pointy. A series of shallow, stuttering wingbeats followed by a short glide (sometimes accompanied by a song or chatter) is the typical flight pattern. Males sing beautiful, flutelike songs from exposed perches, particularly fenceposts. BirdScapes are landscape-scale areas where ABC and its partners work to combine smart land use with effective bird conservation that provides habitat to help sustain or recover targeted migratory bird species or populations. The Eastern Meadowlark is also found in ABC BirdScapes in the central and eastern United States and, in the case of Lilian's Meadowlark, in northern Mexico, in the Valles Centrales BirdScape. Sturnella magna. Please help us raise $1 million for birds by December 31, 2018 so we can write a better story for the Eastern Meadowlark and other declining birds!

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