Western Meadowlark
Western Meadowlark has edged up: up 10% on the route-weighted index since 1968.
About the Western Meadowlark
The Western Meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta) is a North American member of the Blackbirds & Orioles (Icteridae). In this analysis it is grouped with the grassland birds.
- Size
- 6.5–17 in long (16–43 cm) — a small to medium songbird (typical for the family)
- Habitat
- Open grasslands, prairie, pasture and hayfields.
- Diet
- Seeds and insects gathered from grasses and the ground.
- Range
- Recorded on 1,927 Breeding Bird Survey routes across 28 states, most concentrated in the Great Basin.
- Family
- Icteridae · Grassland birds
Notable Western Meadowlark Trends
No notable trend signals for Western Meadowlark. See the full index history below.
Western Meadowlark Population Forecast
If the recent trend holds, Western Meadowlark is projected to stay roughly flat through 2029, near 17 (95% range 11–24). A 5-year backtest shows a typical error of ±8.7%, with 100% of held-out values landing inside the 95% band.
| Year | Projected index | 95% low | 95% high |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 18 | 11 | 24 |
| 2026 | 18 | 11 | 24 |
| 2027 | 17 | 11 | 24 |
| 2028 | 17 | 11 | 24 |
| 2029 | 17 | 11 | 24 |
Where the Western Meadowlark Is Detected
BBS routes recording Western Meadowlark, sized by most recent count.
Western Meadowlark Population Trend by State
| Arizona | -2% | 1970 | 63 |
| California | -57% | 1970 | 208 |
| Colorado | -47% | 1970 | 147 |
| Idaho | -47% | 1970 | 55 |
| Illinois | -98% | 1968 | 68 |
| Indiana | -98% | 1968 | 19 |
| Iowa | -95% | 1969 | 39 |
| Kansas | -66% | 1969 | 61 |
| Kentucky | insufficient data | n/a | 2 |
| Michigan | -98% | 1968 | 52 |
| Minnesota | -93% | 1969 | 72 |
| Missouri | -97% | 1969 | 34 |
| Montana | -13% | 1970 | 108 |
| Nebraska | -22% | 1969 | 76 |
| Nevada | -2% | 1970 | 49 |
| New Mexico | -49% | 1970 | 80 |
| New York | insufficient data | n/a | 3 |
| North Dakota | -38% | 1969 | 51 |
| Ohio | -91% | 1968 | 18 |
| Oklahoma | +19% | 1969 | 46 |
| Oregon | -37% | 1970 | 109 |
| Pennsylvania | insufficient data | n/a | 2 |
| South Dakota | -28% | 1969 | 63 |
| Texas | +25% | 1969 | 100 |
| Utah | +39% | 1970 | 109 |
| Washington | +47% | 1970 | 78 |
| Wisconsin | -100% | 1968 | 83 |
| Wyoming | -18% | 1970 | 132 |
Western Meadowlark Population Trend by Region
Bird Conservation Regions are the ecological unit for trends.
| Northern Pacific Rainforest | -80% | 1970 | 63 |
| Great Basin | -7% | 1970 | 246 |
| Northern Rockies | -24% | 1970 | 200 |
| Prairie Potholes | -54% | 1969 | 124 |
| Boreal Hardwood Transition | -64% | 1968 | 63 |
| Sierra Nevada | +101% | 1971 | 21 |
| Southern Rockies / Colorado Plateau | -18% | 1970 | 218 |
| Badlands and Prairies | -17% | 1969 | 138 |
| Shortgrass Prairie | -31% | 1969 | 135 |
| Central Mixed Grass Prairie | -53% | 1969 | 124 |
| Edwards Plateau | +132% | 1979 | 6 |
| Oaks and Prairies | -92% | 1969 | 28 |
| Eastern Tallgrass Prairie | -94% | 1968 | 182 |
| Prairie Hardwood Transition | -100% | 1968 | 125 |
| Central Hardwoods | -21% | 1972 | 9 |
| Coastal California | -77% | 1970 | 110 |
| Sonoran and Mojave Deserts | +25% | 1970 | 57 |
| Sierra Madre Occidental | +29% | 1970 | 24 |
| Chihuahuan Desert | -78% | 1970 | 38 |
Western Meadowlark Conservation Status
Our route-weighted index shows it up about 10% since 1968. Grassland birds are North America's steepest-declining group, down roughly 50% since 1970 as prairie and pasture were lost.
Source: USGS North American Breeding Bird Survey, retrieved 2026-05-22. Trend is a route-weighted relative-abundance index, not an absolute population.