On the ground, their brown-and-black dappled upperparts camouflage the birds among dirt clods and dry grasses. I had seen pictures of the Eastern meadowlark in my bird books but never saw one live and heard it vocalize. The Common Koel is a brood parasite, that is, it lays its eggs in the nests of other bird species. In addition to the overall shape of the nest, consider how wide or deep it is and where the entry point is for birds traveling back and forth—on the side, top or even the bottom. The sweet, lazy whistles of Eastern Meadowlarks waft over summer grasslands and farms in eastern North America. Some birds live in the trees, and some love lakes, but the meadowlark is a bird of the grassland. In spring each male meadowlark adopts a bragging post, where he spends several hours each day in song. When you're driving in the countryside and you see cattle or horses in a grassy field, you're in meadowlark habitat. The clear whistled song of the Eastern Meadowlark can be heard in spring not only in the East but also in desert grasslands of the Southwest. In 1927 school children across the state of Oregon voted the Western Meadowlark to be the state bird. Meadowlarks are sharp-billed plump birds, 20 to 28 cm (8 to 11 inches) long. Thrushes' are often spotted underneath, but in some species, males are unspotted and clearly different from females. However, Western Meadowlarks look nearly identical to their close relative the Eastern Meadowlark. the plains air seems to give it a voice, and it will perch on the top of a bush or tree and sing for hours in rich, bubbling tones. Children liked the meadowlark because of its striking appearance, its pretty song, and its common presence in meadows and prairies. Nebraska, North Dakota, Oregon, and Wyoming. Watch the tops of fence posts for a bird with a yellow front like a broad shield made of gold. The birds themselves sing from fenceposts and telephone lines or stalk through the grasses, probing the ground for insects with their long, sharp bills. Eastern Meadowlark: Short ground-dwelling bird with buff- and black-streaked brown upperparts. A familiar bird, known by the black "V" on its chest when it sings from a fencepost, or by the flash of white tail feathers when it flushes from the grass. Common hosts are the Red Wattlebird,Anthochaera carnunculata, friarbirds, the Magpie-lark, Grallina cyanoleuca, and figbirds.A single egg is laid in the host's nest and once hatched the chick forces the other eggs and hatchlings out of the nest. Meadowlarks are a stocky bird with distinctive markings that separate them from most other birds. Western Meadowlark - state bird of Montana "One of our sweetest, loudest songsters is the meadow-lark . Remarkably similar to the Eastern Meadowlark in colors and pattern, this bird is recognized by its very different song and callnotes. and in the eternal youth of Nature you may renew your own. The Meadowlark is not a Lark but in the family of New World Blackbirds. Shape: Birds build different nest shapes, from simple shallow scrapes to cups to elaborate hanging pouches or cave-like structures. Rotund, stocky, medium-size blackbird with a long bill, short tail, strong legs, and pointed tail feathers. The two North American Meadowlarks, the Eastern and Western are so similar in appeareance that even side by side it would be difficult to tell them apart.. Of course if the two were together, the Western species would be slightly paler than the Eastern. Nowadays the state bird has nearly vanished in the valleys west of the cascades. A symbol of the American West and the Great Plains, the Western Meadowlark is the state bird of Kansas, Montana. The two species of meadowlarks evidently can easily recognize their own kind the same way; even where their ranges overlap in the Midwest and Southwest, they almost never interbreed. Throat to belly is yellow, broad black V on breast. I had seen pictures of the Eastern meadowlark in my bird books but never saw one live and heard it vocalize. Western Meadowlark Facts, Information, and Photos. Meadowlark habitat. Then I recorded one by accident while visiting a friend near Cooperstown, New York, a rural dairy farm area. Meadowlarks are often more easily heard than seen, unless you spot a male singing from a fence post. Then I recorded one by accident while visiting a friend near Cooperstown, New York, a rural dairy farm area. Watch the tops of fence posts for a bird with a yellow front like a broad shield made of gold. Nests are built on the ground and covered with a roof made of grass, making them well-camouflaged. Doves are calm, gentle birds that often stay still and allow birders to get great views, but unfortunately, many dove species have similar plumage and can be difficult to tell apart.