{"id":47338,"date":"2017-04-07T06:34:55","date_gmt":"2017-04-07T12:34:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/?p=47338"},"modified":"2017-04-07T07:04:29","modified_gmt":"2017-04-07T13:04:29","slug":"western-meadowlark-territorial-display","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/2017\/04\/07\/western-meadowlark-territorial-display\/","title":{"rendered":"Western Meadowlark Territorial Display"},"content":{"rendered":"

I finally know the purpose behind this Western Meadowlark behavior. Typically I observe it several times each breeding season but until yesterday\u00a0I never fully understood its significance.<\/p>\n

In the springtime Western Meadowlarks are well known for singing their melodious, sweet song for extended periods – usually on territory and on elevated perches. Their\u00a0song is one of the most distinctive and loved sounds in nature. But three days ago this bird was singing a different tune and acting oddly.<\/p>\n

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1\/3200, f\/7.1, ISO 500, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n

The behavior had\u00a0three components and “bill-tilting” was one of them where the bird would snap its bill upward. In meadowlarks it’s a quick behavior\u00a0but in other icterids (a family of birds that includes meadowlarks, orioles, blackbirds and grackles among others)\u00a0that position is often held for some time. Just yesterday I watched male Great-tailed Grackles performing bill-tilting and those birds held the position for several seconds.<\/p>\n

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1\/3200, f\/7.1, ISO 500, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n

Interspersed with the bill-tilting this bird was flashing its wings partly\u00a0open and shut with incredible speed – so fast that it was\u00a0extremely difficult to anticipate and photograph. I fired multiple bursts to try to capture it and was\u00a0only successful twice – this is the best of the two shots. At the same time it was flashing its wings it was snapping its white outer tail feathers in and out but I never did capture that very well.<\/p>\n

The third component of this complex behavior was the odd call it was making the entire time. In the approximate two minutes the bird performed the behavior it never did sing its classical song – instead it was making its odd “chupp” call (I called it a chirp while I was watching it). That call can be heard here<\/a> if you have the interest – scroll down to the 4th sound clip labeled “chupp call”.<\/p>\n

This combined behavior is one side of a territorial dispute and is performed when a trespasser enters another birds territory. The bird faces its opponent during the display to present\u00a0its yellow breast\u00a0with black crescent to the intruder. I never did see the other bird but I strongly suspect it was there because this bird faced the same direction for the entire time it was displaying.<\/p>\n

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1\/3200, f\/7.1, ISO 500, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n

Then suddenly the meadowlark turned 90\u00b0 on its perch and began to sing its classical song with enthusiasm. It never displayed again while I was\u00a0there.\u00a0I presume that change in behavior was due to the other bird flying off.<\/p>\n

I’ve seen this display multiple times over the years but until yesterday I’d never taken the time to research its significance. Following is what Birds of North America Online has to say about it:<\/p>\n