Measurements
Both Sexes
- Length
- 7.5–10.2 in
19–26 cm - Wingspan
- 13.8–15.7 in
35–40 cm - Weight
- 3.2–5.3 oz
90–150 g
Relative Size
- Slightly larger but more compact than an American Robin; smaller than a Blue Jay.
Other Names
- Sturnelle des prés (French)
- Triguera común (Spanish)
Cool Facts
- The Eastern Meadowlark is not in the lark family (Alaudidae)—it’s a member of the blackbird family (Icteridae), which also includes cowbirds and orioles.
- A male Eastern Meadowlark typically has two mates at a time, rarely three.
- Taxonomists recognize up to 17 subspecies of Eastern Meadowlark, including one isolated population in the Southwest known as the Lillian’s Meadowlark, which lives well within the range of the Western Meadowlark.
- Although Eastern and Western Meadowlarks are nearly identical, the two species hybridize only very rarely. Mixed pairs usually occur only at the edge of the range where few mates are available.
- Where Eastern and Western meadowlark ranges overlap in the central U.S., the two species refuse to share territories. Their songs sound totally different to each other, like a foreign language, so singing doesn’t always do the job of communicating territorial boundaries. Instead, the two species are likely to fight for territorial supremacy.
- An Eastern Meadowlark male can sing several different variations of its song. In New York, the songs from one male were analyzed using spectrograms; the bird sang more than 100 different patterns of song.
- The oldest known wild Eastern Meadowlark was at least 8 years, 8 months old.
Habitat
Grassland
Eastern Meadowlarks are most common in native grasslands and prairies, but they also occur in pastures, hayfields, agricultural fields, airports, and other grassy areas. Because vast swaths of grasslands are hard to find in parts of eastern North America, Eastern Meadowlarks will breed in many kinds of grassy areas as long as they can find about 6 acres in which to establish a territory. Where their range overlaps with Western Meadowlarks, Eastern Meadowlarks tend to use wetter, lower-lying grasslands.
Food
Insects
Eastern Meadowlarks eat mostly insects, including crickets, grasshoppers, caterpillars, and grubs. During winter they also eat weed seeds, spilled corn, and wild fruits, but don’t eat sprouting grain. They get their food by walking on the ground and probing with their bill. First they push their closed bill into the ground and then open their mandibles to disturb the dirt and expose grubs and worms—a common tactic for members of the blackbird family.
Nesting
Nesting Facts
- Clutch Size
- 2–7 eggs
- Number of Broods
- 1-2 broods
- Egg Length
- 0.9–1.2 in
2.2–3.1 cm - Egg Width
- 0.7–0.9 in
1.8–2.3 cm - Incubation Period
- 13–16 days
- Nestling Period
- 10–12 days
- Egg Description
- White, with variable speckles or spots.
- Condition at Hatching
- Mostly naked with pinkish-orange skin and sparse down along back and above eyes; eyes are closed at hatching.
Nest Description
The female builds the nest all by herself, taking 4–8 days. She constructs a cup nest woven with dead grasses, plant stems, and strips of bark that’s about 6–9 inches wide and 2–3 inches deep. Some nests are quite elaborate, with overhead roofs and tunnel entrances made of woven grasses.
Nest Placement
Ground
Eastern Meadowlarks nest on the ground in grasslands. The female finds a small depression or even hoof print, typically well concealed by dense vegetation.
Behavior
Ground Forager
Eastern Meadowlarks walk and stalk on the ground of thickly vegetated grasslands searching for insects to eat. Males are very vocal during the breeding season, singing boldly from open areas or elevated perches. A musical meadowlark declaring “Spring is here!” from atop a farm fencepost is a welcome sign that winter is over in northern states. Singing is a primary means of territory establishment. Males also display to each other, and later to females, by tilting their bill upward and showing their bright yellow breast and black breast band. They will also engage in “jump flights”, where rival males leap into the air one after the other, fluttering their wings with tail cocked upward and feet dangling. Males accept 2–3 females into their territories; both males and females return to the same territory year after year, though females will find another territory if the male fails to show up. Outside of breeding season, Eastern Meadowlarks are very shy, remaining hidden among tall grasses and silently slinking away when people approach. When disturbed, they burst into their stuttering flight of shallow, whirring wingbeats and short glides. People should be very cautious approaching meadowlarks during nesting, as the female will abandon incubation of her eggs if she is forced off the nest.
Conservation
Least Concern
Eastern Meadowlarks are a declining species. Populations tracked in the Breeding Survey have dropped by 70 percent since 1970 in conjunction with their disappearing grassland habitat. Prairie is scarce in the eastern United States. And the kinds of farms that once hosted meadowlarks—small, family farms with pastureland and grassy fields—are being replaced by larger, row-cropping agricultural operations or by development. Early mowing, overgrazing by livestock, and the use of pesticides can also harm meadowlarks nesting on private lands. According to the State of the Birds 2011 report, more than 95 percent of the Eastern Meadowlark’s distribution is on private lands, meaning farmland conservation practices are vital to this species.
Credits
- Lanyon, W. E. 1995. Eastern Meadowlark (Sturnella magna). In The Birds of North America, No. 160 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America Online, Ithaca, New York.
- Dunne, P. 2006. Pete Dunne’s Essential Field Guide Companion. Houghton Mifflin, New York.
- North American Bird Conservation Initiative, U.S. Committee, 2011. The State of the Birds 2011 Report on Public Lands and Waters. U.S. Department of the Interior: Washington, DC
- USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center. 2011. Longevity Records of North American Birds.
Migration
Resident to short-distance migrant, although some birds from northern populations migrate more than 600 miles to the southern U.S. These migrating meadowlarks typically depart by the end of November for wintering areas and return to the north after the snow melts in spring.
Find This Bird
During breeding season Eastern Meadowlarks sing often and fairly late in the day, so listen for their pretty, flutelike songs. Also look for bright yellow-breasted males with dashing black V’s across their chest as they show off from posts or poles. In winter, they may be gathered up in flocks of up to 200 meadowlarks foraging in fields for leftover seeds and grains.