Sturnella magna
The Eastern Meadowlark (Sturnella magna) is a medium-sized, robust songbird, typically measuring 8.5-10.2 inches (22-26 cm) in length, with a wingspan of 13.8-16.1 inches (35-41 cm) and weighing between 2.8-4.9 oz (79-139 g). Its most striking field mark is a brilliant yellow breast adorned with a prominent black V-shaped gorget, contrasting with its intricately streaked brown and black upperparts and paler flanks. White outer tail feathers, visible during flight, offer another key identifica...
Favors open grasslands, prairies, savannas, pastures, and hayfields, preferring areas with a mix of tall and short grasses for both nesting and foraging. Generally found at low to moderate elevations.
Primarily insectivorous, feeding on grasshoppers, crickets, beetles, and caterpillars during the summer. In fall and winter, their diet shifts to include a greater proportion of seeds, particularly weed seeds and waste grains, primarily foraging by walking and probing on the ground.
Eastern Meadowlarks are diurnal, most active during the cooler parts of the day, and typically roost on the ground or in low, dense vegetation. They forage by walking deliberately through grasses, often probing the soil with their strong bills to extract insects, and occasionally glean prey from ...
The Eastern Meadowlark's extensive breeding range stretches across eastern and central North America, from the Great Lakes region and southern Canada (including Ontario, Quebec, and the Maritimes) south through the entire eastern United States to Florida, extending west to eastern Kansas and Texa...
Least Concern
- Its genus name "Sturnella" means "little starling," referring to its speckled back, though it's not a true starling. - Despite its name, the Eastern Meadowlark is not a true lark (family Alaudidae) but belongs to the blackbird family (Icteridae). - The Eastern and Western Meadowlark look almost...