State of the Species: Eastern Meadowlark (Sturnella magna)

Written by: Heidi Rothschild, Guest Contributor

Nothing says “summer” to me like the call of the eastern meadowlark.  As a child growing up in Tennessee’s pastures and meadows, the trilling call and flashing yellow breast of the eastern meadowlark told me that school was almost out and the long, lazy days of summer were beginning. Today, I look forward to the same sights and sounds when I visit the Katy Prairie Preserve.

The eastern meadowlark is noted for its sweet song, but it’s actually not lark at all--it’s a member of the blackbird family (Icteridae).  Seen from above, this stocky, ground-foraging bird is well camouflaged: mottled brown and black streaks on its back blend in with the grasses and dirt clods where it hunts and nests.  Perched on fence posts and wires, however, the eastern meadowlark is a sight to behold, displaying a brilliant yellow breast marked with a bold black chevron.  Its beak is sharp and shear-shaped, well-adapted to hunting the grubs, caterpillars, and insects it favors.

Although male and female eastern meadowlarks are similar, the one you see perching and singing on the farmland fence is most likely a male, trying to attract a mate or defend his territory.  Males typically have two or three mates at the same time and stay busy attracting the females and then helping to raise all the broods.  Females build intricate nests on the ground, weaving strands of dead grass together with clumps of living grasses and frequently creating a dome to cover the structure.  They generally lay three to five eggs, which they incubate for about two weeks.  The young birds stay in the nest for about two weeks, and the parents then help care for them for a few weeks longer.

The label “eastern meadowlark” implies that there’s a “western meadowlark”, and indeed there is.  Visually the two species are very similar, but their songs are completely different and they rarely interbreed, even in areas where they overlap.  On the coastal prairie, you will probably see eastern meadowlarks:  western meadowlarks are found in the Houston area, but usually only in the winter months. 

There are still 30+ million eastern meadowlarks living in the U.S., Mexico and Canada, but the National Audubon Society estimates that their numbers have declined over 70% in the last 40 years.  Habitat loss is probably the biggest factor in their falling population.  Native prairies and grasslands are the preferred environment for eastern meadowlarks, but development has virtually eliminated this habitat in the eastern U.S.  Historically, meadowlarks have adapted well to farmlands and pastures, but modern large-scale agriculture is not meadowlark-friendly. Row-cropping, early mowing, over-grazing and pesticides have all contributed to the eastern meadowlark’s decline.

The type of habitat preserved and restored by the Coastal Prairie Conservancy is vital to the survival of this beautiful and iconic species.  As noted above, meadowlarks are adaptable and will nest in many kinds of grasslands, as long as they have about 6 acres to establish a territory.  The 30,000 acres of coastal prairie lands preserved by the Coastal Prairie Conservancy provides homes for thousands of eastern meadowlarks and other grassland species.  Working with farmers and ranchers to pursue sustainable agricultural practices, such as those practiced at the Warren Ranch preserve, will provide additional habitat. 

What can volunteers do?  Helping with prairie restoration is huge!  By participating in activities such as seed collecting, Stewardship Saturdays, the Great Grow Out, and the annual Putting Down Roots event, volunteers help ensure that the prairie survives, and the call of the eastern meadowlark will tell us “summer is here” for many generations to come.