Eastern and Western Meadowlarks (Sturnella magna & Sturnella neglecta) are found throughout the Eastern portion of the United States. All guides that I consulted said they are present in Missouri year-around, which is evident by their presence in January, scavenging in the snow. It does not say much for my observation skills that I just now this past year figured out that they were here at other times besides spring and summer. The Eastern Meadowlark is very closely related to the Western Meadowlark. The only accurate way to distinguish them from one another is by song and location. Although they will occasionally interbreed and create hybrids where their populations cross. There are up to 17 subspecies of Eastern Meadowlark that are recognized. I sent these images to a bird expert and even he is having some difficulty in accurately telling me which species they are. He feels pretty certain they are of the Western variety.
In the spring these birds become very vocal and their call herald's in the spring. There is something so very beautiful about their song. Eastern Meadowlark Vocals and Western Meadowlark Vocals Within a mile from our farm they sit on the phone wires looking down over their territory, very much like sentries overseeing their vast kingdom.
Despite their common name of Meadowlark, they are not related to Larks at all, in fact they are more closely related to Orioles and Blackbirds. They can be a medium to large sized bird measuring up to 9 or 10 inches with a 17 inch wingspan. They have a distinctive yellow patch on their chest with a black "V" shaped marking. They are associated with open grasslands, roadsides, agricultural areas, and prairies. They are ground foragers and feed on weed seeds, insects and other grains found within their habitat. In much of their range they are declining in population, most likely this if from habitat loss. In our area they are plentiful and we are blessed to see them frequently.