Eastern Meadowlark
Encyclopedia
The Eastern Meadowlark, Sturnella magna, is a medium-sized icterid
bird
, very similar in appearance to the Western Meadowlark
. It occurs from eastern North America
to South America
, where it is also most widespread in the east.
The song of this bird is of pure, melancholy whistles, and thus simpler than the jumbled and flutey song of the Western Meadowlark
; their ranges overlap across central North America
. In the field, the song is often the easiest way to tell the two species
apart, though plumage differences do exist, like tail pattern and malar coloration.
The pale Lilian's Meadowlark
of northern Mexico and the southwestern US is sometimes split off as a separate species.
was first described by Linnaeus
in his 1758 Systema naturae
as Alauda magna. The type locality is mistakenly given as "America, Africa"
Linnaeus' error is explained by two facts: first, he did not distinguish between the Eastern and Western meadowlarks. The peculiar belief that this bird also occurred in Africa
is due to confusion of the yellow-breasted meadowlarks with certain longclaw
s (Macronyx), quite unrelated African songbird
s. Specifically the Cape Longclaw
(M. capensis) and the Yellow-throated Longclaw
(M. croceus) share similar habitat and habits, explaining the long hind toe; their plumage pattern however is all but identical, a striking example of convergent evolution
. As this exact pattern provides no obvious adaptive benefit compared to that of other meadowlarks and longclaws, it seems to have arisen twice by sheer chance.
Linnaeus recognized his error less than a decade later, separating the longclaws from their meadowlark look-alikes.
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 starling
s.
, also pastures and hay
fields. This species is a permanent resident throughout much of its range, though most northern birds migrate
southwards in winter. In Central and South America, they tend to be limited to the eastern (Atlantic) side of the continent also. In 1993 this species was first recorded in El Salvador
however, and the discovery of a breeding pair in 2004 confirms that the species is a resident there.
These birds forage on the ground or in low vegetation, sometimes probing with its bill. They mainly eat arthropod
s, but also seed
s and berries
. In winter, they often feed in flocks.
Nesting occurs throughout the summer months. The nest is also on the ground, covered with a roof woven from grasses. There may be more than one nesting female in a male's territory.
The numbers of this species increased as forests were cleared in eastern North America; their numbers are now shrinking with a decline in suitable habitat
. On the other hand, its range is expanding in parts of Central America
toward the Pacific (western) side of the continent.
Icterid
The Icterids are a group of small to medium-sized, often colorful passerine birds restricted to the New World. Most species have black as a predominant plumage color, often enlivened by yellow, orange or red. The family is extremely varied in size, shape, behavior and coloration...
bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
, very similar in appearance to the Western Meadowlark
Western Meadowlark
Not to be confused with Eastern MeadowlarkThe Western Meadowlark is a medium-sized icterid bird, about 8.5 in long. It nests on the ground in open country in western and central North America. It feeds mostly on insects, but also seeds and berries...
. It occurs from eastern North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
to South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
, where it is also most widespread in the east.
Description
Adults have yellow underparts with a black "V" on the breast and white flanks with black streaks. The upperparts are mainly brown with black streaks. They have a long pointed bill; the head is striped with light brown and black.The song of this bird is of pure, melancholy whistles, and thus simpler than the jumbled and flutey song of the Western Meadowlark
Western Meadowlark
Not to be confused with Eastern MeadowlarkThe Western Meadowlark is a medium-sized icterid bird, about 8.5 in long. It nests on the ground in open country in western and central North America. It feeds mostly on insects, but also seeds and berries...
; their ranges overlap across central North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. In the field, the song is often the easiest way to tell the two species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
apart, though plumage differences do exist, like tail pattern and malar coloration.
The pale Lilian's Meadowlark
Lilian's Meadowlark
The Lilian's Meadowlark is a species of bird in the Icteridae family.It is found in Mexico and the southwestern United States. It is treated as a subspecies of Eastern Meadowlark by the American Ornithologists' Union....
of northern Mexico and the southwestern US is sometimes split off as a separate species.
Taxonomy
This speciesSpecies
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
was first described by Linnaeus
Carolus Linnaeus
Carl Linnaeus , also known after his ennoblement as , was a Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist, who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of binomial nomenclature. He is known as the father of modern taxonomy, and is also considered one of the fathers of modern ecology...
in his 1758 Systema naturae
Systema Naturae
The book was one of the major works of the Swedish botanist, zoologist and physician Carolus Linnaeus. The first edition was published in 1735...
as Alauda magna. The type locality is mistakenly given as "America, Africa"
Linnaeus' error is explained by two facts: first, he did not distinguish between the Eastern and Western meadowlarks. The peculiar belief that this bird also occurred in Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
is due to confusion of the yellow-breasted meadowlarks with certain longclaw
Longclaw
The longclaws are a genus of small African passerine birds with long tails, which they wag frequently. They are in the same family as the pipits and wagtails.Longclaws are slender, often colorful, ground-feeding insectivores of open country...
s (Macronyx), quite unrelated African songbird
Songbird
A songbird is a bird belonging to the suborder Passeri of the perching birds . Another name that is sometimes seen as scientific or vernacular name is Oscines, from Latin oscen, "a songbird"...
s. Specifically the Cape Longclaw
Cape Longclaw
The Cape Longclaw or Orange-throated Longclaw, Macronyx capensis, is a passerine bird in the family Motacillidae, which comprises the longclaws, pipits and wagtails. It occurs in Southern Africa in Zimbabwe and southern and eastern South Africa. This species is found in coastal and mountain...
(M. capensis) and the Yellow-throated Longclaw
Yellow-throated Longclaw
The Yellow-throated Longclaw is a species of bird in the Motacillidae family.It is found in Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya,...
(M. croceus) share similar habitat and habits, explaining the long hind toe; their plumage pattern however is all but identical, a striking example of convergent evolution
Convergent evolution
Convergent evolution describes the acquisition of the same biological trait in unrelated lineages.The wing is a classic example of convergent evolution in action. Although their last common ancestor did not have wings, both birds and bats do, and are capable of powered flight. The wings are...
. As this exact pattern provides no obvious adaptive benefit compared to that of other meadowlarks and longclaws, it seems to have arisen twice by sheer chance.
Linnaeus recognized his error less than a decade later, separating the longclaws from their meadowlark look-alikes.
The scientific name Sturnella magna is Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
for, rather confusingly, "large little starling", the generic name having being given due to the meadowlarks' behavior being similar to starling
Starling
Starlings are small to medium-sized passerine birds in the family Sturnidae. The name "Sturnidae" comes from the Latin word for starling, sturnus. Many Asian species, particularly the larger ones, are called mynas, and many African species are known as glossy starlings because of their iridescent...
s.
Ecology
Their breeding habitat is grasslands and prairiePrairie
Prairies are considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the dominant vegetation type...
, also pastures and hay
Hay
Hay is grass, legumes or other herbaceous plants that have been cut, dried, and stored for use as animal fodder, particularly for grazing livestock such as cattle, horses, goats, and sheep. Hay is also fed to pets such as rabbits and guinea pigs...
fields. This species is a permanent resident throughout much of its range, though most northern birds migrate
Bird migration
Bird migration is the regular seasonal journey undertaken by many species of birds. Bird movements include those made in response to changes in food availability, habitat or weather. Sometimes, journeys are not termed "true migration" because they are irregular or in only one direction...
southwards in winter. In Central and South America, they tend to be limited to the eastern (Atlantic) side of the continent also. In 1993 this species was first recorded in El Salvador
El Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
however, and the discovery of a breeding pair in 2004 confirms that the species is a resident there.
These birds forage on the ground or in low vegetation, sometimes probing with its bill. They mainly eat arthropod
Arthropod
An arthropod is an invertebrate animal having an exoskeleton , a segmented body, and jointed appendages. Arthropods are members of the phylum Arthropoda , and include the insects, arachnids, crustaceans, and others...
s, but also seed
Seed
A seed is a small embryonic plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat, usually with some stored food. It is the product of the ripened ovule of gymnosperm and angiosperm plants which occurs after fertilization and some growth within the mother plant...
s and berries
Berry
The botanical definition of a berry is a fleshy fruit produced from a single ovary. Grapes are an example. The berry is the most common type of fleshy fruit in which the entire ovary wall ripens into an edible pericarp. They may have one or more carpels with a thin covering and fleshy interiors....
. In winter, they often feed in flocks.
Nesting occurs throughout the summer months. The nest is also on the ground, covered with a roof woven from grasses. There may be more than one nesting female in a male's territory.
The numbers of this species increased as forests were cleared in eastern North America; their numbers are now shrinking with a decline in suitable habitat
Habitat (ecology)
A habitat is an ecological or environmental area that is inhabited by a particular species of animal, plant or other type of organism...
. On the other hand, its range is expanding in parts of Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
toward the Pacific (western) side of the continent.
External links
- Eastern Meadowlark videos, photos & sounds on the Internet Bird Collection
- Eastern Meadowlark Information - South Dakota Birds and Birding
- Eastern Meadowlark Bird Sound