Medium-sized songbird with long thin bill, short tail, and long legs. Upperparts are light brown; underparts are yellow. Sides are whitish with thin dark streaking.
In the fall and early winter, new feathers are edged with buff, dampening the intensity of the yellow underparts and black “V.”
In flight, the three outermost tail feathers are nearly pure white, and the fourth is mostly white, with limited barring and a small black mark.
Breeding adults have a black “V” on a yellow breast, whitish sides, and light brownish upperparts. A white mustache stripe and cheek, together with a black eyeline and dark crown stripe, create a striking head pattern.
Breeding adults in central Mexico (S. l. auropectalis) are similar to the separate northern population (S. l. lilianae) but have an orangish wash across the breast.
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Chihuahuan Meadowlarks are stocky, medium-sized songbirds. They have a barrel-shaped body, short tail, long legs, and a long, pointed bill that contributes to a flat-headed look.
Larger than a Red-winged Blackbird, smaller than a Great-tailed Grackle.
robin-sizedA separate subspecies (S. l. auropectalis) occurs in central Mexico, ranging from the Pacific lowlands of Jalisco north to Durango and east to Mexico City. It has a more orange-yellow breast than the nominate, northern subspecies (S. l. lilianae) and it occurs in irrigated farmland rather than desert grasslands.
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