Meadowlark facts for kids
Meadowlarks are fascinating birds found in the grasslands of the New World. They are known for their beautiful songs and striking colors. These birds mostly eat insects, helping to keep nature balanced.
This group includes seven different kinds of meadowlarks. All male meadowlarks have backs that are black or brown. Their undersides are usually bright red or yellow. These colors help them stand out in their grassy homes.
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Discovering Meadowlarks
Scientists group meadowlarks into two main families, or genera: Sturnella and Leistes. These groups are often called "red-breasted" and "yellow-breasted" because of their distinct colors.
Meet the Meadowlark Family
Red-Breasted Meadowlarks
These meadowlarks mostly live in South America. They are known for their vibrant red chests.
- Red-breasted meadowlark (Leistes militaris)
- White-browed meadowlark (Leistes superciliaris)
- Peruvian meadowlark (Leistes bellicosus)
- Pampas meadowlark (Leistes defilippii)
- Long-tailed meadowlark (Leistes loyca)
Yellow-Breasted Meadowlarks
You can mostly find these meadowlarks in North America. They have bright yellow chests.
- Eastern meadowlark (Sturnella magna)
- Chihuahuan meadowlark (Sturnella lilianae)
- Western meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta)
Scientists sometimes discuss if the Chihuahuan meadowlark is a full species or a type of Eastern meadowlark. This shows how science is always learning new things!
How Scientists Classify Birds
Classifying animals helps us understand how they are related. Over time, scientists learn more and sometimes change how they group species. For meadowlarks, their classification has changed quite a bit!
When the Eastern meadowlark was first described in 1758 by Carl Linnaeus, he thought it was like other larks. Later, other scientists grouped meadowlarks with different birds, like buntings or starlings.
In 1816, a scientist named Louis Pierre Vieillot created a special group just for meadowlarks, called Sturnella. Most scientists agreed with this new group.
However, some red-breasted meadowlarks were placed in a different group called Trupialis for a while.
By the early 1900s, scientists decided to split meadowlarks again. The yellow-breasted ones stayed in Sturnella. The red-breasted ones moved to a group called Leistes. Other species like the Pampas, Peruvian, and Long-tailed meadowlarks were in a group called Pezites.
Then, by the late 1900s, all meadowlarks were put back into the Sturnella group. But in 2017, after more research, all the red-breasted species were moved back into the Leistes group. This is how we classify them today! It shows that science is always evolving as we discover more about the natural world.
