North Dakota State Mammal: Western Meadowlark

State Animals 3 Minutes

Juli Bosmoe, senior range ecologist for Audubon Great Falls in Fargo, North Dakota, points out that the easiest feature to spot on the western meadowlark is the yellow breast with a v-shaped black bib. She also says to look for the white outer tail feathers that flash when the bird flushes from a perch. These features are shared by two other species that are almost identical, the eastern meadowlark and Chihuahuan meadowlark.

Around the size of a robin, Juli says, “They’re big for a songbird, for sure.” They also have long, slender bills.

Adult males and females look similar. Immature birds are paler in color.

“They prefer grasslands without trees that are encroaching because these provide a perch for predator birds,” says Juli. Throughout the year, they inhabit a large portion of the western U.S., from southern Nebraska to the West Coast, and south into Mexico. In summer, their reach extends into Canada, Montana, the Dakotas, Minnesota and Wisconsin. These birds are early spring and late fall migrants.

What Do Western Meadowlarks Eat?

“During the breeding season they like insects the most. It’s a lot of good energy in a small package,” explains Juli. “Outside of the breeding season they’re more likely to be eating seeds, which is why it’s important to have these diverse grasslands.” Even though they do consume seeds as part of their diet, she notes, “They’re not going to be your backyard feeder bird.” Juli says of one of their favorite ways to find their seeds is by sticking their beaks in a cow pie to get out the seeds.

The ideal habit for western meadowlarks is an expansive grassland with diverse grassland species, but there are many instances where development or agricultural practices reduce these food options for the birds. “If the grassland is stagnant, it’s just going to turn into a lot of older grasses,” she says. “It is typically invaded by smooth brome and Kentucky bluegrass.” One of the best ways we can support these grassland birds is to keep our own backyards as diverse as possible with native grasses.

Nesting Habits

“The male mates with more than one female, but it may be only two,” notes Juli. They are very territorial during the breeding season, using their songs to woo a female, as well as ward off intruders. “They have great, hidden nests,” she explains. The female gathers all of the materials and builds the nest, which is positioned on the ground, often near a bunch of grasses or placed within a depression. Built of grasses and dried forbs, the six to seven-inch diameter nest blends perfectly with the surrounding vegetation.

“The female will tuck grasses over the top,” she says, and camouflage roof makes them nearly impossible to see, even when you’re looking for them. “(Western) meadowlarks usually have two breeds year, and the female takes care of the young,” says Juli. The five to six white eggs per clutch are heavily spotted with lavender, brown or rust markings, which adds to their concealment qualities. It requires 13 to 16 days for them to hatch, and the young leave the nest after 10 to 18 days.

Western Meadowlark Song

Their distinctive, remarkably loud song makes western meadowlarks unmistakable. “To me, that’s one of the key features, of how loud they are. You could be driving down the gravel road with the windows up, and you can still hear them,” Juli says.

“(Males) really like a post to sit on, such as fences or barbed wired, to sing for the ladies,” says Juli. “They have a whole repertoire of songs because the males are trying to attract the females. They can have 100 different variations. The females judge them on their songs.”

Sometimes described as “flute-like,” their songs vary with whistles, gurgles and warbling sounds. But once you hear it, you recognize it immediately.

SOURCE: BIRDS&BLOOMS

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Published by pat frederick

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26 thoughts on “North Dakota State Mammal: Western Meadowlark”

  3. Morning All!
    sigh…it’s still 40* and wispy clouds out there this morning.
    We realized before we went to bed last night that while we were having dinner, a bear destroyed the burn pit again. We were watching a movie and didn’t even hear anything. but the one whole side of cinder blocks are laying on the ground. sigh
    they’re just stacked over a grate so it’s not a huge deal to rebuild it but it looks like some are broken. so they’ll have to be replaced.

    and when i took the feeders out this morning, 2 of the 4 pieces of yarn are gone. i checked around the grass under the deck and in the yard (they’d be easy to spot) and i don’t see them so hopefully the orioles took them!

    Like

  5. sunlight hit the front glass doors just right and i can see 4 nose prints near the very bottom of the glass…we had the camera working so maybe hubby can tell what that is.

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    1. i hope DOJ goes after these “people”. if it was a mistake, then the money should still be in those account numbers. If someone took the money out, that’s fraud. claw it back, send them to jail.

      Liked by 1 person

  8. Flwolverine

    Flwolverine

    May 27, 2025 8:52 am

    Describing issues with nationwide injunctions Solicitor Sauer says:
    They encourage rampant forum shopping. They require judges to make rushed, high-stakes, low-information decisions. They circumvent Rule 23 by offering all the benefits but none of the burdens of class [action] certification. They operate asymmetrically, forcing the government to win everywhere while the plaintiffs can win anywhere. They invert the ordinary hierarchy of appellate review. They create the ongoing risk of conflicting judgments. … They create what Justice [Lewis] Powell described as repeated and essentially head-on confrontations between the life-tenured and representative branches of government. And they disrupt the Constitution’s careful balancing of the separation of powers.

    He also states that of approximately 40 nationwide injunctions, 35 have come five judicial areas.
    One could reasonably argue that the judges entering these orders are essentially attempting to undo the results of the last election by keeping in place Biden administration policies — policies that more than 77 million voters roundly rejected last November. These judges apparently believe they have more authority than the president to make decisions on everything from domestic and foreign policy to matters affecting national security and the military.
    Let’s hope the Supreme Court, with it’s expected late June rulings, comes to it’s senses.

    Like

  11. this…
    Julie Kelly 🇺🇸
    @julie_kelly2
    Dozens were denied release following armed predawn FBI raids including those accused of non violent offenses such as the unlawful 1512c2 count and those without any criminal record.

    J6ers were then hauled—some cross country stopping at 4-5 other prisons along the way to add to the torment—to a DC gulag created specifically for J6ers.

    The excuse for bringing J6ers to DC was that the capital was the “scene of the crime” and all court proceedings would take place in DC. Except all hearings in 2021 were virtual—the first trial took place March 2022.

    Those defendants then were kept in solitary in 2021 under “Covid” rules.

    DC judges routinely denied motions for release—only a handful were overturned by DC appellate court. Meanwhile, prison officials denied a few members of Congress who were brave enough to take interest (MTG and Gohmert first) access to the facility amid accusations of physical and mental abuse.

    DOJ and prison guards also prevented J6ers from meeting with their attorneys and accessing their discovery—foundational Constitutional rights.

    If a J6ers refused a vaccine, that individual could not meet in person with their lawyer.

    They remained “locked up” as DC judges systematically denied every change of venue motion—which handed DOJ a perfect conviction record before DC juries made up almost exclusively of Democratic voters.

    DOJ then sought excessive sentences which included terror enhancements and in at least 2 instances illegal prison time (add- ons later reversed by DC appellate court) for nonviolent convictions.

    At least 100 J6ers were “locked up” on a corporate fraud statute SCOTUS determined 3 years later had been misused (abused) by Biden DOJ and 17 federal judges.

    This only scratches the surface of the lack of due process afforded to J6ers. And it infuriates me to this day to read an ACLU lawsuit signed by at least a dozen lawyers when not a single one stepped up to represent J6ers.

    Illegal Venezuelan gang banger? ACLU and federal judges will work round the clock to ensure their “due process rights.” A U.S. veteran accused of bogus crimes related to a political protest on taxpayer funded property? Rot.

    Sorry to interrupt your popular delusion with facts, Michael.

    was in response to this…

    Michael Freeman
    @michaelpfreeman
    The answer is zero. None were locked up without due process.

    Like

  12. Clarion
    May 27, 2025 10:32 am

    I’m traveling in Asia right now, and it’s fascinating to see how much elite panic there is over the Harvard situation. Of course, 99.999% of people couldn’t care less but Asian elites care, because that’s where they send their kids. And that tells us two important things.

    First, Harvard is a powerful piece of leverage over elites and by extension, over their governments. It’s exactly the kind of “chip” Trump has talked about so many times, i.e. something the U.S. holds but never uses.

    Second, this should ultimately come down to China. If other countries want to send their kids to Harvard, fine. But the U.S. should impose a full ban on Chinese student visas.

    That kills several birds with one stone:

    1. China is the central problem.

    2. Chinese nationals pose a unique national security threat because, unlike other countries, China legally obligates every citizen to assist in intelligence work (see Article 7 of their National Intelligence Law).

    3. Framing this as a national security issue, as opposed to a Harvard issue, makes it far harder for radical leftist courts to block than a blanket ban on all foreign students.

    https://x.com/HansMahncke/status/1927350737568153721

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  13. prayer request for Filly

    Marica
    May 27, 2025 at 2:04 pm Edit

    Filly is in the hospital with breathing issues….Erbody Pray for her! Had emergency squad come get her! She’s still Feisty as ever but her breathing is still not strong!! Will keep you postered as she keeps me in the loop!

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  15. Filly? if you see this–if not i have it copied–a message from para
    para59r
    para59r(@para59r)Online
    Wolf
    Reply to patfrederick
    May 27, 2025 16:09

    If the condition she’s taking the Albuterol is related to smoking I’d suggest she start vaping. While not totally as satisfying as a cigarette it’s close enough and it will clear out her lungs fairly fast so that she’d feel like she never smoked before.

    Picking the vape flavor, nicotine level and vape device are incredibly difficult given all the options when doing that on line where you can’t do trials with out spending money. I’d suggest visit a vape shop that would help her with that or if she’d like I could stop by at our sister site and give advice on which on line sight to try out and what to pick if she mentions what kind of cigarettes she uses now.

    Like

    1. more Gail Combs
      Gail Combs(@gailcombs)Online
      Wolf
      Reply to patfrederick
      May 27, 2025 16:32

      “….my heart started pounding and my whole body was shaking almost like I was having a seizure….

      Filly is in the hospital with breathing issues…”

      I had the SAME DAMN ISSUES with Albuterol earlier this year.

      My potassium levels dropped like a rock. To the point I was literally lapping KCL salt off my palm. That stopped the heart pounding and the shakes.

      Breathing wise I dropped from a low percent O2 of 91% — 92% after climbing the stairs to a low in the lower 80s. Resting I was lucky to get it to 90% without an inhaler.

      I had to use Serrapeptase, Nettle leaf, doubled antihistamine, N-acetyl-L-cysteine, as well as the OTC Primatime mist inhaler for a couple months to get my breathing back under control. I start using u to 8 single sprays a day and was able to gradually reduce the number over time. An anti-inflammatory also helped.

      I am now back up to 95 -96% while sitting and only go down to ~93% when I finish climbing the stairs.

      A MAJOR THANKS to our favorite eggplant! She kept me from following Filly into the hospital.

      ….

      Why Albuterol Reduces Potassium | livestrong

      Albuterol is known as a beta-2 agonist. This means that it is able to bind to and mimic the effects of adrenaline on certain cells, including its ability to trigger the transport of potassium out of the blood. Consequently, taking albuterol can lower your potassium levels. This may make your muscles weak or cause muscle spasms, and it can also cause an abnormal heart rhythm. Other symptoms of hypokalemia include fatigue, constipation and the breakdown of muscle fibers.

      Aubergine mentioned that Albuterol is actually BAD for your lungs.

      Detrimental effects of albuterol on airway responsiveness…

      Thus, it appears that preexisting lung inflammation is necessary for albuterol to cause further negative effects on the hyperresponsiveness of the respiratory system.

      …

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