Wildlife Highlight: Eastern Meadowlark
Karla Brandt
Eastern Meadowlark
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The eastern meadowlark provides a bright splash of color on Florida’s
open grassy fields and prairies. Scan fence posts, low bushes or power
lines for the adult bird with its yellow throat, breast and belly, and
black “V” across the chest. Or listen for the sweet, melodious song: a
plaintive, clear, descending whistle.
The eastern meadowlark breeds throughout eastern and central North
America and in Mexico and parts of Central America and the Caribbean.
This year-round Florida resident is not a lark, as its name suggests,
but is in the same family as blackbirds and orioles. In size and shape,
a perched meadowlark resembles a starling, but it is quail-like in its
explosive take-off from the ground. Insects make up the bulk of the
meadowlark’s diet, but grass and weed seeds are also consumed.
In Florida, breeding takes place from late March through July. During
courtship, the male jumps straight up into the air to display its bright
yellow and black markings. Males often have two mates at a time. Females
build nests on the ground, weaving fine grasses into surrounding
vegetation and often incorporating a domed canopy of grass into the
construction. Many nests are destroyed each year when cultivated fields
are mowed.
Eastern meadowlarks are common on the prairies and pastures of the
Florida peninsula, and are found throughout the state in suitable open
habitat, including croplands and golf courses. In general, however,
scientists have noted gradual population declines throughout the eastern
meadowlark’s range, probably due to habitat loss.
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