BirdAnalyst
Species · BCR 32 · BBS 2025 Release · 1966–2024

Western Meadowlark In Coastal California

All regionsCoastal CaliforniaGrassland birds

Western Meadowlark in Coastal California has collapsed: down 77% on the route-weighted index since 1970.

-77%Since 1970
110Routes In Region
56Years

Notable Signals

long arc declinecomputed index

Western Meadowlark has collapsed in Coastal California: down 77% on the route-weighted index since 1970.

Forecast

If the recent trend holds, Western Meadowlark in Coastal California is projected to fall about 25% by 2029 — from 11 in 2024 to a central estimate of 8.4 (95% range 0.00–21). A 5-year backtest shows a typical error of ±37.6%, with 100% of held-out values landing inside the 95% band.

-25%Change by 2029
8.4Projected 2029 index
0.00–2195% range
±37.6%Backtest error
19682029
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
2025110.0024
2026100.0023
20279.80.0022
20289.10.0022
20298.40.0021

Routes In Coastal California

Routes recording Western Meadowlark in Coastal California.
AtwaterCALIFORNIA1222012
Carrizo PlnCALIFORNIA992023
RiovistaCALIFORNIA862024
VentucopaCALIFORNIA752002
Santa Cruz ICALIFORNIA541988
AthloneCALIFORNIA442007
Mesa GrandeCALIFORNIA432024
Yolla BollyCALIFORNIA402024
CopperopolisCALIFORNIA382024
LivermoreCALIFORNIA311991
GreenfieldCALIFORNIA302024
OnoCALIFORNIA292012
CordovaCALIFORNIA291981
LockwoodCALIFORNIA292024
PowayCALIFORNIA271980
ReddingCALIFORNIA271983
Red BluffCALIFORNIA262024
OrlandCALIFORNIA242022
Lake BerryessaCALIFORNIA232024
ShafterCALIFORNIA231989
JacksonCALIFORNIA231992
Anza 2CALIFORNIA232024
South LakeCALIFORNIA232006
TracyCALIFORNIA222009
Tracy 2CALIFORNIA222024

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