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The Chihuahuan Meadowlark
Named after the desert landscapes where they live.
© Ginger Spinelli
In 2022, ornithologists recognized the Chihuahuan Meadowlark as a separate species rather than a subspecies of the Eastern Meadowlark. Named after the northern region of Mexico where they're easy to find, Chihuahuan Meadowlarks live in dry desert grasslands. They form a distinct population in Mexico and the southwestern U.S., and have a song that sets them apart from other meadowlarks.
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BirdNote®
The Chihuahuan Meadowlark
Written by Conor Gearin
This is BirdNote.
[Chihuahuan Meadowlark song]
Though once thought to be a subspecies of the Eastern Meadowlark, this bird was recognized in 2022 as a separate species: the Chihuahuan Meadowlark.
[Chihuahuan Meadowlark song]
Keen observers have long known that the Chihuahuan Meadowlark’s song sounds different from other North American meadowlarks.
[Chihuahuan Meadowlark song]
Named after the northern region of Mexico where they're easy to find, Chihuahuan Meadowlarks live in dry desert grasslands. They form a distinct population in Mexico and the southwestern U.S. They have a similar build to other meadowlarks, but with lighter brown streaks on their sides and less yellow on their bellies. And of course, a song all their own.
[Chihuahuan Meadowlark song]
The Chihuahuan Meadowlark’s recognition as a species was aided by Johanna Beam, a PhD student who studied the song patterns and DNA of North America’s meadowlark populations. The research suggested that song differences could help prevent Chihuahuan Meadowlarks from breeding with other species, and that Eastern and Western Meadowlarks are more closely related to each other than they are to the Chihuahuan birds.
[Chihuahuan Meadowlark song]
Now, the Chihuahuan Meadowlark has a name that recognizes the species’ uniqueness — and that pays tribute to the desert landscapes these birds call home.
For BirdNote, I’m Ariana Remmel.
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Senior Producer: Mark Bramhill
Producer: Sam Johnson
Managing Editor: Jazzi Johnson
Managing Producer: Ariana Remmel
Content Director: Jonese Franklin
Bird sounds provided by The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. Chihuahuan Meadowlark ML 217748521 recorded by Rose Ann Rowlett. BirdNote’s theme was composed and played by Nancy Rumbel and John Kessler.
© 2023 BirdNote March 2023 / June 2025
Narrator: Ariana Remmel
ID# CHME-01-2023-03-07 CHME-01
Conor Gearin
Writer
