Song and Facts Of The Western Meadowlark

The song of the western meadowlark is one that I look forward to every April. Despite the cold mornings that persist during that time of the year, their bright and cheerful song travels through the air with the reassurance that spring is underway. Hearing their song always brings a smile to my face. The western meadowlark is not a lark as the name suggests. It actually belongs to the blackbird or ichthyrid family that consists of blackbirds, bobblings, orioles, freckles, and cowbirds. The explorers Lewis and Clark were aware of the western meadowlark, but had not given the bird much study. Later, when John James Audubon came on the scene, he was bothered by this oversight and gave the bird its Latin name, sternella neglectus, which means neglected starling. The western meadowlark is a robin-sized bird, but a bit more plump, with a shorter tail and short wings. It can easily be identified by its yellow breast, black V-shaped bib, white tail margins, and long slender bill. Its back is intricately patterned in brown, black, and white. It is nearly identical to the eastern meadowlark. To tell the two apart, the best identifier is the difference in their songs, which are actually quite different. Where their ranges overlap, the two rarely ever hybridize. One interesting fact is that the western meadowlark is a state bird for six U.S. states, which are Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oregon, and Wyoming. The western meadowlark comes in second place to the northern cardinal, who is the state bird of seven states. Western meadowlarks are one of the most abundant grassland birds in North America, ranging from sea level up to 10,000 feet. They are at home in wide open fields, meadows, pastures, and prairies with low to medium height grasses. They avoid areas that are wooded or with heavy shrubs. Their diet consists of grain, weed seeds, and insects. They eat in alignment with the seasons, which means that in winter and spring, they forage for grain. In the late spring and summer, they eat insects, and in the fall, they eat weed seeds. Their long, slender bill is a useful tool for probing and poking the soil in search of a tasty insect. The way they acquire them is a feeding behavior known as gaping. They insert their bill into the soil, bark, or other substrate, and with their unusually strong muscles, they pry the soil apart to create a hole. This gives them access to seeds or insects that other birds can't get to. Some of the insects that they eat are beetles, ants, cutworms, grasshoppers, and crickets. Males begin territory selection and defense up to a month before the females arrive. They may sing from the ground, but will also utilize a perch located along the perimeter of their territory. They can often be seen from fence posts, trees, or utility poles, anything that gives them an unobstructed view of their domain. Males repeat the same song several times before switching to another song. If another male is in the area, he may change his song in response to an approaching male's song, indicating his readiness to interact with the newcomer. From my research, I observed and recorded five different songs. This is by no means a conclusive list of all of their vocalizations, but just the experiences I had in the field. I heard what I call the primary song. This is the most frequently used song that I heard. Now and then, the male would switch to what I call the secondary song. It has a slightly different intonation. Another time, I heard a chattering sort of call that he gave in response to another male's chatter that you hear immediately preceding his. There is also the single note that goes down in pitch, sometimes interspersed with the primary or secondary song. And lastly, I heard the flight song as the male took off, which is a hurried sort of twittering and erratic warbling sound. On one of my days of recording, I saw a male who landed on a fence post and started singing. He then went to each of the next three posts, singing at each one, and then flew back into the field. He repeated this exact same pattern over and over, giving quite the territorial display. While I can't know for sure, I wondered if he was flying to his nest site after each perimeter visit. Males will mate with two females in a breeding season. The female chooses a nest spot on the ground, shaping a shallow depression into a cup-like shape, then lining it with soft dry grasses and pliable stems of shrubs. One really unique feature is that the female often uses the vegetation around the nest cup to create a grassy, waterproof dome over the nest. To do this, she weaves together grass and shrub stems to provide protection. Also, as the parents move in and out of the nest, they create short runways or pathways in the surrounding grasslands. So you can think of the finished product as a grass-thatched bird igloo, complete with a driveway that is very well concealed. The female is solely responsible for choosing the nest site, constructing the nest, and incubating the eggs. Western meadowlarks have one to two broods per breeding season and lay five to six eggs per clutch. After the eggs have hatched, the male brings food to the chicks and chases off any intruders if needed. Western meadowlarks are extremely sensitive to humans and will abandon a nest if disturbed. Where I live, I often see wide open grassy fields where western meadowlarks nest, fenced off to protect the birds and animals who inhabit those areas. I am very happy that measures like this are taken to protect the birds and animals who need this seclusion in order to thrive. The western meadowlark is more often heard than seen and it can be difficult to study them in their natural habitat. Of all the times I have observed these birds in the field, I have never seen any females or juveniles and I haven't seen much information about them online either. Despite their secretive nature, their beautiful song is a delight to the soul and it reconnects us with nature. Do you have the western meadowlark in your area? Do you look forward to hearing their arrival every spring as well? Let me know in the comments section below and as always, thank you so much for watching and happy birding!