LOCAL FACTS: The Western Meadowlark
A Western Meadowlark calls out from its perch near Walla Walla. The Western Meadowlark – also known as Sturnella Neglecta – is one of two types of Meadowlarks commonly found in the United States. The other is the Eastern Meadowlark, which has a different song it calls out and has slightly different physical builds.
COURTESY PHOTO/WDFW
| February 11, 2026 12:00 AM
MOSES LAKE — In addition to being the state bird of Montana, where Managing Editor R. Hans Miller grew up, the Western Meadowlark can be found throughout the Pacific Northwest, including the Columbia Basin.
The birds are notable for stout bodies with brown on their backs that is streaked in various shades for camouflage, but their undersides are a bright yellow with a black V-shape on their chests. That marking is often a gray color in wintertime. They generally grow to be seven to ten inches in length and between 3 and 5 ounces in weight.
Meadowlarks are primarily insectivorous – meaning they eat bugs – but they also eat grains and seeds of various sorts, especially in winter when insects may be more difficult to track down.