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OUR STATE BIRD
By Jeannie Marcure
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Hear the Western Meadowlark sing!
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WESTERN MEADOWLARK
photo by Jeannie Marcure |
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The first bird song that I learned to recognize as I was
growing up on the prairies of eastern South Dakota was
that of the western meadowlark. There, as here, spotting
a meadowlark sitting on a fence post, head thrown back
in jubilant song, was one of the rites of spring. Some
twenty-five years later when I relocated to Western
Montana, I was delighted to learn that not only did the
western meadowlark live here, but that it was the state
bird of Montana.
The first recorded observation of the western meadowlark
was made by Meriwether Lewis on June 22, 1805 in the
vicinity of the Great Falls of the Missouri. Lewis wrote
about a lark with a yellow breast that resembled the
size and color of the eastern lark but with a song was
that was noticeably different from that of the eastern
meadowlark and concluded that this was a new bird.
Indeed, the western species sings a longer and more
musical song than its eastern cousin. Freer and wilder,
the song is identified by 7 to 10 flutelike notes, a
much more complex and melodic sound than the clear
whistles of the eastern species.
The selection as the Montana state bird began in 1930
when the state’s school children were asked which bird
best represented their state. The response was
overwhelming in favor of the meadowlark and in the next
legislative session in 1931, state lawmakers made the
selection official. Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota,
Oregon and Wyoming also claim the meadowlark as their
state bird.
The meadowlark is a bird of the grassland and the first
meadowlarks probably arrived with the prairies, on the
heels of the retreating glaciers. Even now, when the
once prairie landscape is dotted with development,
meadowlarks still favor this environment. Anytime you
see cattle or horses in a grassy field, you’re in
meadowlark habitat. Watch the fence posts for a
robin-sized bird with a black v-shaped breast band and a
bright yellow chest. Male meadowlarks arrive first in
the spring in order to secure the best possible nesting
territory so that they will be able to win a mate when
the females arrive several weeks later. Each male adopts
a bragging post and spends several hours there in song
each day. Although pleasing to human ears, the music is
a no-trespassing signal to other meadowlarks and is the
primary way that they defend their territories.
Occasionally, however, the conflict can escalate into a
physical confrontation and males sometimes fight by
locking onto each other’s feet and rolling around in the
grass, stabbing at each other with their beaks until one
escapes and flies away, pursued by the victor. Shortly
after such an encounter, the winner can be seen back on
the bragging post announcing his victory.
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abandoned meadowlark nest |
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When a female arrives, the male approaches with his
colorful front toward her and his bill pointed upward
and swelling out his breast. He also flicks his wings
above his back and leaps up and down to get her
attention. If the courtship is successful, they mate and
the female begins construction of the nest. She starts
with a hoof print or natural depression in the ground
which she shapes by digging with her bill. Meadowlarks
are equipped with complex bill musculature which allows
them to force the bill open with considerable strength.
This allows the bill to be inserted into the ground or
among grass stems and then open, prying the material
apart thus shaping the nest and entrance. When this
happens the eyes rotate slightly forward allowing the
birds to see directly between their jaws into the hole
they have created. When the hole is established, she
lines the nest with fine grasses and creates a roof by
pulling the adjacent vegetation over her nest to form a
dome. This task requires hundreds of trips to bring in
needed materials and when finished the nest looks like a
tuft of grass & weeds. It’s open on only one side and
the entrance may be concealed by overhanging weeds or a
roofed run of grasses. Meadowlarks are usually silent
while nesting and caring for their young. When you hear
a meadowlark singing in the summer, it means that the
first brood had probably fledged and the parents are
ready to start a second nest.
My favorite place to see and listen to meadowlarks is
Smith Lake Road and since that’s also a great place to
see both mountain and western bluebirds, you’ll want to
plan your next birding drive out that way soon! Roll
your windows down and listen for the cheerful call of a
meadowlark looking for a mate! Spring in the Flathead
Valley is a beautiful and fleeting season. ENJOY! |
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