The Eastern Meadowlark is a bird of open grassland that announces itself with a clear, slurred, whistled song — a sweet "spring-of-the-year" drifting across a hayfield. Perched on a fence post or wire, it shows a brilliant yellow breast crossed by a bold black V, a look that is unmistakable when it faces you; turn it around and the streaky brown upperparts vanish into the grass. Though it is called a lark, it is actually a member of the blackbird family.
Meadowlarks nest on the ground in Michigan's pastures, hayfields, and grasslands from April into summer, walking through the grass to hunt insects. Like other grassland birds they have declined significantly with the loss of open habitat and intensified farming, and the species is now considered Near Threatened. A meadowlark singing from a fence line remains one of the classic sounds of rural Michigan in spring, though a quieter one than it once was.
Feeds mainly on insects — crickets, grasshoppers, beetles, and caterpillars — probed and gleaned from the ground and grass, especially in the breeding season. It shifts to weed seeds and waste grain in fall and winter, foraging by walking through fields and pastures.
No. Despite the name, the Eastern Meadowlark is a member of the blackbird family, related to grackles, orioles, and blackbirds, not to true larks.
Look for a chunky grassland bird with a bright yellow breast marked by a bold black V, perched on a fence post or wire. From behind it is cryptic streaky brown. Its clear, whistled, descending song is a strong clue.
Loss of grassland and pasture, plus earlier and more frequent hay mowing that destroys their ground nests, have driven steep declines. The Eastern Meadowlark is now listed as Near Threatened.
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