Western Meadowlark
Western MeadowlarkWestern MeadowlarkWestern MeadowlarkWestern Meadowlark

Western Meadowlark

Sturnella neglecta

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
<5% · Rare
overall probability at Rocky Mountain National Park
90 Verified records at Rocky Mountain National Park
April Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's active during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

The western meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta) is a medium-sized icterid bird, about 20 cm (7.9 in) in length. It is found across western and central North America and is a partial migrant, breeding in western Canada and western United States west of the Great Lakes, and in northern Mexico. In the northern half of the breeding range, the birds migrate south for the winter, while further south they are resident all year. The winter range also extends south and southeast of the breeding range, as far as central Mexico, and east to western Florida. The western meadowlark nests on the ground in open grasslands and shrublands. It feeds on bugs and seeds. Wikipedia →

<5% of wildlife watchers report a Western Meadowlark sighting in Rocky Mountain National Park, based on 90 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

Closest Relatives at Rocky Mountain National Park

Red-winged Blackbird
LC

Red-winged Blackbird

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Agelaius phoeniceus

20–30% · Possible
Brewer's Blackbird
NT

Brewer's Blackbird

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Euphagus cyanocephalus

10–20% · With luck
Brown-headed Cowbird
LC

Brown-headed Cowbird

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Molothrus ater

10–20% · With luck
Common Grackle
NT

Common Grackle

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Quiscalus quiscula

5–10% · With luck
Bullock's Oriole

Bullock's Oriole

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Icterus bullockii

<5% · Rare
Yellow-headed Blackbird
LC

Yellow-headed Blackbird

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus

<5% · Rare
Great-tailed Grackle
LC Endemic

Great-tailed Grackle

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Quiscalus mexicanus

<5% · Rare
Bobolink
NT

Bobolink

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Dolichonyx oryzivorus

<5% · Rare
Orchard Oriole
LC Endemic

Orchard Oriole

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Icterus spurius

Insufficient data
Mountain Chickadee
LC

Mountain Chickadee

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Poecile gambeli

80–90% · Very likely
American Robin
LC Endemic

American Robin

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Turdus migratorius

70–80% · Very likely
Black-billed Magpie
LC

Black-billed Magpie

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Pica hudsonia

60–70% · Likely

📅 Monthly Probability

<5
Jan
<5
Feb
<5
Mar
5–10
Apr
<5
May
<5
Jun
<5
Jul
<5
Aug
<5
Sep
<5
Oct
<5
Nov
<5
Dec

☀️ When They're Spotted

Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)

☀️Diurnal
☀️🌙🌙12am6am12pm6pm12am

Global Distribution

Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.

where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is)  ·  parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Probability
1 Badlands National Park 🇺🇸 United States
90–100%
2 El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
10–20%
3 Death Valley National Park 🇺🇸 United States
10–20%
4 Redwood National Park 🇺🇸 United States
10–20%
5 Yellowstone National Park 🇺🇸 United States
10–20%
6 Channel Islands National Park 🇺🇸 United States
10–20%
7 Grand Teton National Park 🇺🇸 United States
5–10%
8 Riding Mountain National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
5–10%
9 Zion National Park 🇺🇸 United States
5–10%
10 Joshua Tree National Park 🇺🇸 United States
5–10%
11 Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks 🇺🇸 United States
5–10%
12 Grand Canyon National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
13 Cumbres de Monterrey National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
14 Glacier National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
15 Big Bend National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
16 Pacific Rim National Park Reserve 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
17 Banff National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
18 Rocky Mountain National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
19 Olympic National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
20 Yosemite National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
21 Guadalupe Mountains National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
22 Great Bear Rainforest 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
23 Wood Buffalo National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
Insufficient data
24 Jasper National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
Insufficient data
25 Bahía de Loreto National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Western Meadowlark in Rocky Mountain National Park?

About 1% of wildlife watchers report a Western Meadowlark sighting in Rocky Mountain National Park, based on 90 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Western Meadowlark in Rocky Mountain National Park?

April has the highest sighting rate for Western Meadowlark in Rocky Mountain National Park in our monthly data.

← Back to Rocky Mountain National Park