Western meadowlark, the state bird of Wyoming

How to recognize it

The western meadowlark is robin-sized but chunkier, about 7.5 to 10 inches long. Its throat and breast are bright yellow, crossed by a bold black V that duller feather tips partly hide in fall, and its upperparts are streaked brown, tan and black. White outer tail feathers flash when it takes off or lands, and males and females look alike.

Its song is the best way to tell it from the eastern meadowlark: a rich, flute-like run of gurgling notes that usually falls in pitch. The call is a low chuck.

How it lives

The meadowlark walks on the ground and probes the soil with its long bill, eating mostly insects such as beetles, grasshoppers and caterpillars in summer; seeds make up about a third of its yearly diet, especially in fall and winter. Males sing to hold their territories, and some have more than one mate. The female builds a nest on the ground, often roofed over with grass. The species lives in open country across western North America, generally in shorter, drier grass than the eastern meadowlark uses, and it migrates late in fall and returns early in spring.

Where to see one in Wyoming

Look in Wyoming’s open grasslands, sagebrush country, pastures and hayfields in spring and summer, where males sing from fence posts, shrubs and power lines.

Common, but declining

The western meadowlark is still widespread and common, with a population Audubon puts near 100 million, but the North American Breeding Bird Survey shows breeding numbers falling about 1 percent a year over the past five decades, likely because of the loss and degradation of grassland.

The state bird since 1927

Wyoming named the meadowlark its state bird on February 5, 1927. The law names only the genus, Sturnella, and the common name meadowlark; state sources identify it as the western meadowlark, which Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota and Oregon have also chosen.