 Breeding evidence |
 Relative abundance |
 Probability of observation |
Click for a larger version or to add map overlays |
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Click on plot to view table of mean abundance
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Number of squares
Long-term BBS trends
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-1.83 (-2.25 - -1.41)|
Mean abundance (number of birds detected per 5 min. point count) and percentage of squares occupied by region Bird Conservation Regions [abund. plot]
[%squares plot]
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Atlas Results
Atlas results coming soon
Excerpts Adapted from the Birds of Saskatchewan:
Perhaps the most familiar bird of the prairies, the Western Meadowlark is easily recognized by its loud, melodious song and striking yellow and black breast. The Western Meadowlark nests over much of western North America from southern British Columbia and southwestern Ontario to central Mexico. A partial migrant, it withdraws mainly to south of the American border during winter.
The Western Meadowlark is now concentrated in hayfields, road allowances, and native pastures with a low density of shrubs (Dale 1983, McMaster and Davis 2001, Davis 2004, Dickson 2012). This species requires residual cover for nesting so overgrazing and intensive cultivation has rendered it uncommon in many areas (Smith 1996).
The Western Meadowlark is a common summer resident of most of the rangeland and farmland of southern Saskatchewan. As with so many grassland birds, loss and degradation of grassland habitat has reduced its numbers. Along the edges of the southern boreal forest in the Prince Albert and Nipawin areas it occupies agricultural clearings (Houston and Street 1959), and settlements and airports at Canoe Lake, Doré Lake, and Île-à-la-Crosse (Smith 1996).
Original text by Daniel J. Sawatzky and Stephen K. Davis. Text adapted by Daniel J. Sawatzky
Read more about the Western Meadowlark in the Birds of Saskatchewan here.
Recommended citation: Latremouille, L. M. 2025. Western Meadowlark in Latremouille, L. M., S. L. Van Wilgenburg, C. B. Jardine, D. Lepage, A. R. Couturier, D. Evans, D. Iles, and K. L. Drake (eds.). 2025. The Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Saskatchewan, 2017-2021. Birds Canada. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan https://sk.birdatlas.ca/accounts/speciesaccount.jsp?sp=WEME&lang=en [09 Nov 2025]
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