Western meadowlark

Sturnella neglecta

The Western meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta) is a bird found in United States and Canada. Prairies and fields across western North America. It eats insects and other small invertebrates and seeds and nuts. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.

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Scientific name	Sturnella neglecta
Region	North America
Found in	United States and Canada

🏡 Where the Western meadowlark lives

Prairies and fields across western North America.

🍽️ What it eats

🐛 Insects & bugs50%
🌰 Seeds & nuts50%

A rough guide to its diet over a year. Source: EltonTraits (Wilman et al. 2014).

Conservation status

LCNTVUENCREWEX

Least ConcernThere are plenty of these birds.

💡 It sings a bubbling, flute-like song from a fence post.

Hear the Western meadowlark

Recorded by David Tattersley (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0), xeno-canto XC1000439. Trimmed to a few seconds.

Questions about the Western meadowlark

Where does the Western meadowlark live?

The Western meadowlark lives in United States and Canada. Prairies and fields across western North America.

What does the Western meadowlark eat?

insects and other small invertebrates (about 50%), seeds and nuts (about 50%). These are rough shares of its diet over a year, from the EltonTraits database.

Is the Western meadowlark endangered?

There are plenty of these birds. Its IUCN Red List category is Least Concern.

More birds from North America

Sources: IUCN Red List (via Wikidata), EltonTraits 1.0 (Wilman et al. 2014), GBIF sightings for countries, Wikipedia. Last updated 2026-10-19.