Eastern Meadowlark

Overview

Eastern Meadowlark: Short ground-dwelling bird with buff- and black-streaked brown upperparts. Head has black-and-white striped crown, white face, black eyestripe and a pointed bill. Throat to belly is yellow, broad black V on breast. Brown tail has white edges and undertail coverts.

Range and Habitat

Eastern Meadowlark: Breeds from southeastern Canada through eastern U.S. west to Arizona; resident in the Bahamas and Mexico. Spends winters mostly within breeding range. Preferred habitats include pastures, meadows, grassy fields, prairies, open country, and country roadsides. Often seen singing from fence posts or utility wires.

INTERESTING FACTS

A male Eastern Meadowlark typically has two mates at a time, and on rare occasion, three. The scientific name Sturnella magna is Latin for, rather confusingly, "large little starling", the generic name having being given due to the meadowlarks' behavior being similar to starlings.
Up to 17 subspecies are recognized by taxonomists.
A group of meadowlarks are collectively known as a "pod" of meadowlarks.

The Eastern Meadowlark has a large range, estimated globally at 7,300,000 square kilometers. It is native to the nations of North America as well as Central America and parts of South America and prefers shrubland and grassland ecosystems, though it has been known to reside in rural and pastureland areas. The global population of this bird is estimated at 10,000,000 individuals and it does not appear to meet population decline criteria that would necessitate inclusion on the IUCN Red List. The current evaluation status of the Eastern Meadowlark is Least Concern.