Meadowlark

Meadowlark, common name for any of seven American bird species of a genus of the blackbird subfamily. The two North American species, the eastern and western meadowlarks, look very much alike but have different voices. Both are about 23 cm (about 9 in) long. They are brown streaked with black and buff above and bright yellow below, with a black crescent on the chest. They inhabit meadows and fields across the United States, their ranges overlapping in the middle west. They build domed nests hidden in the grass, where the females lay four to six white eggs, speckled with reddish brown. The range of the eastern meadowlark extends south to northern South America, where it meets the northernmost of five South American species, all characterized by having red rather than yellow breasts.

Scientific classification: Meadowlarks make up the genus Sturnella of the subfamily Teterinae, family Emberizidae, order Passeriformes. The subfamily is sometimes considered a separate family, Icteridae. The eastern meadowlark is classified as Sturnella magna and the western meadowlark as Sturnella neglecta.