Eastern Meadowlark Photo Gallery

Breeding adult (Eastern)

Chunky, medium-sized songbird with a short tail, and a long, spear-shaped bill. Breeding birds are bright yellow below with a black V on the chest.

Breeding adult (Eastern)

Sings from exposed perches such as treetops, fenceposts, and utility lines. Note yellow throat bordered by a white mustache.

Breeding adult (Eastern)

Males sing a flutelike whistle in open areas, usually from an exposed perch.

Nonbreeding adult/immature (Eastern)

Chunky, flat-headed grassland bird with a long, pointed bill. Nonbreeding birds are paler yellow below.

Adult (Eastern)

Forages for insects such as grasshoppers and caterpillars or seeds by probing ground with their shear-shaped bill.

Breeding adult (Lilian's)

Eastern Meadowlarks (Lilian's) in the Southwest have more white in the tail, grayer upperparts, and more contrastingly white cheeks than other Eastern Meadowlarks.

Nonbreeding adult/immature (Lilian's)

Eastern Meadowlarks (Lilian's) in the Southwest have more white in the tail, grayer upperparts, and more contrastingly white cheeks than other Eastern Meadowlarks.