BirdAnalyst
Species · BCR 18 · BBS 2025 Release · 1966–2024

Eastern Meadowlark In Shortgrass Prairie

All regionsShortgrass PrairieGrassland birds

Eastern Meadowlark in Shortgrass Prairie has fallen sharply: down 59% on the route-weighted index since 1970.

-59%Since 1970
20Routes In Region
51Years

Notable Signals

long arc declinecomputed index

Eastern Meadowlark has fallen sharply in Shortgrass Prairie: down 59% on the route-weighted index since 1970.

Forecast

If the recent trend holds, Eastern Meadowlark in Shortgrass Prairie is projected to fall about 14% by 2029 — from 0.61 in 2024 to a central estimate of 0.53 (95% range 0.00–1.7). A 5-year backtest shows a typical error of ±52.1%, with 100% of held-out values landing inside the 95% band.

-14%Change by 2029
0.53Projected 2029 index
0.00–1.795% range
±52.1%Backtest error
19672029
Projection of the recent trend (dashed) with 80/95% bands — a projection, not a prediction. Habitat, climate, and land use are not modeled.
YearProjected index95% low95% high
20250.510.001.7
20260.520.001.7
20270.520.001.7
20280.530.001.7
20290.530.001.7

Routes In Shortgrass Prairie

Routes recording Eastern Meadowlark in Shortgrass Prairie.
Clear LakeOKLAHOMA302024
PantexTEXAS272018
SkellytownTEXAS192024
LakinKANSAS71969
FloydadaTEXAS42022
TwichellTEXAS42023
GruverTEXAS42019
WallaceKANSAS22011
RuletonKANSAS22018
PaxtonNEBRASKA22009
HardestyOKLAHOMA22015
WakaTEXAS22022
DoughertyTEXAS22022
PanhandleTEXAS22024
PlymellKANSAS12021
WinonaKANSAS12000
AgateNEBRASKA11983
PostTEXAS12019
MiamiTEXAS12023
ClaytonvilleTEXAS12019

Source: USGS North American Breeding Bird Survey, retrieved 2026-05-22.