Eastern Meadowlark

This has been a fairly consistent yard bird up until the fall of 2013. We live out in the country and have learned not to use pesticides on our lawn. Because of this, we get birds, such as this Eastern Meadowlark, that will probe with their bills to find grubs to eat.

This past winter, the Western Meadowlarks became a feeder bird, so were around to claim breeding territories in the spring before the Easterns arrived. They look similar to one another, but their songs are completely different, with the Western being much more melodious.

Both of these species will hunt for bugs in similar manner and they change to a diet of seeds when bugs are scarce.