Western Meadowlark

Western Meadowlark sitting on the top row of barbed wire of a fence.
Western Meadowlark, Cement Creek Reservoir, Fort Worth, TX; December 21, 2021.
Canon EOS 5Ds R with Tamron 150-600 mm lens; 600 mm; ISO-1600; f/14; 1/500 sec.

This page is for the Western Meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta). The Western and Eastern Meadowlarks look very similar. I recently had shot an Eastern Meadowlark and through careful study of the photographs, along with my internet research, I was able to tell them apart. My first photographic evidence occurred on December 21, 2021 at the Cement Creek Reservoir, Fort Worth, TX.

Western Meadowlark perched on the tip of a dead plant.
Western Meadowlark, Black Mesa Nature Preserve, Kenton, Ok, October 20, 2022
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 1.4x Teleconverter; 700 mm; ISO-1000; f/10; 1/800 sec.
Western Meadowlark starting to jump down to the ground from a small plant stem.
Western Meadowlark, Black Mesa State Park, Kenton, Ok, October 21, 2022
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 1.4x Teleconverter; 700 mm; ISO-200; f/11; 1/800 sec.
Western Meadowlark standing in the middle of a grassy field.
Western Meadowlark, North Holiday Park, Benbrook, TX, March 26, 2023
Canon EOS R5 with Canon 100-500 mm L-series lens with 2.0x Teleconverter; 1000 mm; ISO-1000; f/16; 1/1000 sec.