Western Meadowlark

I found this one in a ball field in California. I’ve seen both the Western and Eastern Meadowlarks and they look sooooooo alike! The only real difference is their song and call notes. Luckily these birds can tell each species apart, since their ranges do overlap in the Southwest and Midwest, US.  The two species don’t interbreed, but they defend their territories against each other! Maybe they don’t know just how similar they are…

They can be found in fields, meadows, prairies, pastures and grasslands. Their diet consists of insects, such as grasshoppers, caterpillars, ants, beetles, crickets, spiders and snails. Seeds and grains make up a greater percentage of their fall and winter diet. They forage by walking along the ground and probing the soil with their bill. Usually they will forage in flocks during the winter months.