Minnesota Profile: Eastern Meadowlark (Sturnella magna)

Home Range

Resides in the eastern half of the state from March until November when most go south--only as far as Iowa. The look-alike western meadowlark (S. neglecta) is the common meadowlark in the western half of the state.

Population

Once common in prairies, pastures, meadows, and hayfields, meadowlarks have steadily declined in recent years. This has been attributed to loss of nesting habitat as a result of intensive farming and urbanization. Meadowlarks and other ground-nesting birds are especially vulnerable to predators such as free-roaming domestic cats.

Field Marks

Its bright yellow breast marked with a bold black V makes the bird easy to identify when perched on a roadside fence post or utility line. Conspicuous white tail margins make it easy to identify in flight.

Behavior

Its quaillike flight is distinctive--quick wingbeats alternate with glides. Its plaintive song consists of three to five pure, flutelike whistles, gently descending in pitch.

Origin of Its Name

Male meadowlarks occasionally deliver their song in flight, as do skylarks in England. This accounts for the common name. In fact, the meadowlark is not a lark at all, but a member of the blackbird family--Icteridae.

Favorite Foods

In summer they eat mainly crickets, grasshoppers, caterpillars, cutworms, grubs, and other insects; in winter, noxious weed seeds, waste grains, and wild fruits.

Family Life

Meadowlarks are polygynous, which means that a male has more than one mate. The male establishes and defends a breeding territory of five to seven acres. The female weaves a ground nest of coarse, dried grasses and lines it with finer grasses. Usually the nest is partially roofed with grass and a trail leads to the opening. The female lays up to five eggs and incubates and feeds them alone. Nestlings fledge before they can fly, after 10 to 12 days.

--Carol Pearson, Hennepin Parks Wildlife Specialist