Species BirdsWestern Meadowlark

Western Meadowlark

Sturnella neglecta

CommonBird
Illustration of Western Meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta)

The Western Meadowlark is the state bird of six states — more than any other species — and its rich, gurgling flute-like song is a defining sound of western grasslands. It is nearly identical in appearance to the Eastern Meadowlark but sings a very different, more complex song. The two species rarely hybridize even where their ranges overlap in the Great Plains.

Habitat
Prairies, grasslands, rangelands, and agricultural fields
Diet
Insects, grasshoppers, and seeds
How common
Common

Recent Western Meadowlark sightings near you

Live, research-grade observations from iNaturalist. Allow location to center the map on you.

Spot a Western Meadowlark? Identify it instantly.

Point Huck at any plant or animal and get an instant ID, rarity, and field notes — building your personal nature collection as you go.

Get Huck — free

More birds

Acorn Woodpecker
Acorn Woodpecker
Melanerpes formicivorus
American Avocet
American Avocet
Recurvirostra americana
American Bittern
American Bittern
Botaurus lentiginosus
American Black Duck
American Black Duck
Anas rubripes
American Coot
American Coot
Fulica americana
American Crow
American Crow
Corvus brachyrhynchos
American Flamingo
American Flamingo
Phoenicopterus ruber
American Golden-Plover
American Golden-Plover
Pluvialis dominica