This yellow-breasted westerner delivers a powerful, Prairie singing voice


T


here are many things I love about living on the Prairies, the sunrises and sunsets, the landscape that seems to go on forever and the songs of the grasslands. The echoes of many birdsongs carry through the air, and sadly many of those are disap- pearing at very worrisome rates, along with the grass- lands. There is no bird that represents the Prairies more than the meadow- lark, the poster bird for many prairie conservation groups.


Sherrie Versluis Feathered Friends


There is the Eastern and the Western meadowlark. Both species are closely re- lated and are distinguished mainly by their voice and location, as their appear- ance is very similar. Here in Manitoba we see the


Western variety. This beautiful bird is actually not of the lark family but a member of the blackbird family. As colourful as these birds are they are still some- times hard to spot, but very easily heard with their loud, almost flute-like song. The males can often be seen on fence posts or on hydro wires with their heads held high as they belt out one of the most favoured bird songs of all. The meadowlark is found in grasslands, meadows and pastures, and along marshes. The Western meadowlark is about the size of a robin but with a shorter tail, and a little more stout in the belly. The major part of their body is striped dark and light brown with flashes of white. The most striking feature is the breast which is bright yellow with a black “V” across it. Males and females are alike in appear- ance.


Where the Western and Eastern species meet on the edge of their range they have been found to hybridize, but only rarely and only when mates are not available. Interestingly, in captive breeding experiments it was found that hybrid meadowlarks were fertile but pro- duced very few eggs that successfully hatched. When it comes to nesting, the female Western mead- owlark is one hard-working bird! She makes a nest on the ground by first making a depression in the soil, us- ing only her bill. Then she collects soft, dry grass and stems from shrubs to weave a dome with an opening at the front. When complete, the nest is seven to eight inches across, the interior being four to five inches across and two to three inches deep.


It takes about a week to complete this task. The fe-


male then lays five or six eggs, which will hatch in 13 to 16 days. In just under two weeks, the young will fledge. The female does all the incubation and most of the feeding of the young.


The Western meadowlark will produce one or two


broods per summer. The male usually has two mates at the same time; he gives only minimal assistance in feeding the young and keeps intruders away. The Western meadowlark’s diet consists of grain,


seed and insects, and food choices are specific to each season. They choose mostly grain in their wintering grounds and in spring; in fall they consume the readily available weed seeds and in summer the endless sup- ply of insects. The desired insects include beetles, ants, cutworms, grasshoppers and crickets. One skill many birds of the blackbird (Icteridae) fam- ily have is “gaping”. This method of gathering food involves inserting their long, pointed bill into the ground and opening it wide to pry open the soil to access insects that many other birds cannot. One study found that in difficult winters meadowlarks can be seen feeding on carcasses like road-kill. In 1914 one of the earliest known studies of the meadowlark was carried out by California grain growers. The study was to determine if the meadowlarks should be designated a pest. The study discovered that the meadowlarks did eat grain but also, and more importantly, drastically re- duced crop-damaging insects.


This special bird is on a steady, continual decline in population due mainly to habitat loss, pesticides and even invasive plant species that alter their habitat. In the past 40 years it is estimated they have declined by 48 per cent, with the majority of that decline in the last 15 years. Let us hope, despite the worrisome signals, that these symbolic grassland birds will continue to fill the prairies with their lovely and unmistakable song for many future generations to enjoy.


Sherrie Versluis owns The Preferred Perch on St. Mary’s Road in St. Vital. Phone: 204-257-3724.


August 2017 www.lifestyles55.net 9


Western meadowlark is known for its song. Photo courtesy of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 2 WORTH THE WAIT


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