meadowlark, common North American meadow bird of the family Icteridae, also called meadow starling. Unlike other members of the family, which comprises blackbirds, grackles, orioles, and others, the meadowlark does not travel in large flocks, and it eats harmful insects rather than grain. The eastern meadowlark, Sturnella magna, known for its clear, whistling song, is about 10 in. (25 cm) long. In color, it is brown streaked with black above and yellow below with a broad black crescent across the chest. The Western species, Sturnella neglecta, is slightly smaller, and its call is lower. Recent experiments have shown that the two species do not interbreed in the wild, although they are nearly indistinguishable. Meadowlarks are classified in the phylum Chordata, subphylum Vertebrata, class Aves, order Passeriformes, family Icteridae.

Any sharp-billed, plump songbird of the genus Sturnella (family Icteridae), 8–11 in. (20–28 cm) long. The two North American species are streaked brown above and have a yellow breast crossed by a black V; the short tail has distinctive white outer feathers. The eastern, or common, meadowlark (S. magna), from eastern Canada to Brazil, has a simple four-note whistle; the western meadowlark (S. neglecta), from western Canada to Mexico, has an intricate fluting song. Meadowlarks eat insects in summer and seeds in fall and winter. Their nests are grass domes hidden in fields.

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