CreatureData

Western meadowlark

Sturnella neglecta Audubon, 1844

LCLeast Concernsongbirds

The western meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta) is a species in the family Icteridae, order Passeriformes. Recorded adults weigh 89.4 g to 106 g and live up to 10 years. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

Western meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta)
Photo: Kevin Cole from Pacific Coast, USA ( en:User:Kevinlcole ) · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the western meadowlark

Weight
89.4 g – 106 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
10 yearssrc for Lifespan
Diet
Invertivoresrc for Diet
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
grasslandsrc for Habitat
Egg incubation
14 dayssrc for Egg incubation
Young per litter or clutch
4.2 – 4.83src for Young per litter or clutch
Age at maturity
12 monthssrc for Age at maturity
Litters or clutches a year
2src for Litters or clutches a year
Lifestyle
Terrestrialsrc for Lifestyle
Migration
Partialsrc for Migration
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Where does the western meadowlark live?

Not recorded

What is the western meadowlark?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The western meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta) is a medium-sized icterid bird, about 20 cm (7.9 in) in length. It is found across western and central North America and is a partial migrant, breeding in western Canada and western United States west of the Great Lakes, and in northern Mexico. In the northern half of the breeding range, the birds migrate south for the winter, while further south they are resident all year. The winter range also extends south and southeast of the breeding range, as far as central Mexico, and east to western Florida. The western meadowlark nests on the ground in open grasslands and shrublands. It feeds on bugs and seeds. The western meadowlark has distinctive calls described as watery or flute-like, which distinguish it from the closely related eastern meadowlark. The western meadowlark is the state bird of six states; in Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oregon, and Wyoming.

From the Wikipedia article “Western meadowlark” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Western_meadowlark&oldid=1366152409), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

Is the western meadowlark endangered?

The western meadowlark is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species. What the categories mean.

How is the western meadowlark classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderPasseriformes
  5. familyIcteridae
  6. genusSturnella
  7. SpeciesSturnella neglecta Audubon, 1844

Synonyms Sturnella magna neglecta

Other names and names in other languages (47)
  • Missouri meadowlarkEnglish
  • pradenca occidentalCatalan
  • Alosa pradenca de l'oestCatalan
  • HonóxeäseCheyenne
  • vlhovec západníCzech
  • ehedydd maes y GorllewinWelsh
  • Vestlig EnglærkeDanish
  • WiesenstärlingGerman
  • Westlicher LerchenstärlingGerman
  • uesta ikteroEsperanto
  • Okcidenta sturneloEsperanto
  • Loica OccidentalSpanish
  • Pradero del OesteSpanish
  • Pradero occidentalSpanish
  • lääne-niiduturpialEstonian
  • چکاوک مرغزار غربیPersian
  • huilupreeriaturpiaaliFinnish
  • Sturnelle de l'OuestFrench
  • Sturnelle de l’OuestFrench
  • Fuiseog léanaIrish
  • סטורנלה נגלקטהHebrew
  • pjegavi vranjakCroatian
  • nyugati réticsirögeHungarian
  • Sturnella occidentaleItalian
  • sturnella allodola occidentaleItalian
  • ニシマキバドリJapanese
  • nishimakibadoriJapanese
  • vakarinis pievinis trupialasLithuanian
  • rietumu pļavustrazdsLatvian
  • Tsiiyah wozhiiNavajo
  • GeelkaakweidespreeuwDutch
  • prærielerketrupialNorwegian
  • Otapiskaknaashiihsh (onaapihkaakani pineshiihsh)Ojibwa
  • wojak żółtogardłyPolish
  • Cotovia-ocidentalPortuguese
  • estornela-ocidentalPortuguese
  • peito-amarelo-ocidentalPortuguese
  • Западный луговой трупиалRussian
  • Жаворонковый луговой трупиалRussian
  • lúčnik žltohrdlýSlovak
  • Zapadna livadska ševaSerbian
  • västlig ängstrupialSwedish
  • Batılı TarlasığırcığıTurkish
  • шпаркос західнийUkrainian
  • Chiền chiện miền tâyVietnamese
  • 西草地鹨Chinese
  • 西方草地鷚Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataIUCN Red List

Relatives of the western meadowlark

Other species in the same genus Sturnella.

CompareWestern meadowlark vs Eastern meadowlarkWestern meadowlark vs Lilian's meadowlark

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the western meadowlark?

An adult western meadowlark weighs 89.4 g – 106 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the western meadowlark endangered?

The western meadowlark is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.

How long does the western meadowlark live?

The western meadowlark has a recorded lifespan of 10 years.

What kind of animal is the western meadowlark?

The western meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta) belongs to the family Icteridae in the order Passeriformes.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Western meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/western-meadowlark

MLA

“Western meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/western-meadowlark.

BibTeX
@misc{western_meadowlark_2026,
  title = {Western meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/western-meadowlark},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}