Eastern Meadowlark (Sturnella magna) [XC406009]
by Nattaly Tejeiro-M from River Lakes Conservation Area near Viera, Brevard Co, Florida, United States (call, flight call, song)
Eastern Meadowlark (Sturnella magna) [XC772217]
by Manuel Grosselet from East Davis Road near the Swisshelm Mountains, Cochise County, Arizona, United States (song)
Subspecies
Eastern Meadowlark (Sturnella magna) (Sibley and Monroe 1990, 1993) and Lilian's Meadowlark (Sturnella lilianae) (Sibley and Monroe 1990, 1993) have been lumped into Sturnella magna following AOU (1998), who note the two groups differ in plumage, morphology, and habitat preferences (Lanyon 1962, Rohwer 1972, 1976), but are quite similar in vocalizations (Lanyon 1962).
Thought to form a superspecies with Lilian's Meadowlark (Sturnella lilianae), the two being geographically separated by distributional gaps; previously treated as conspecific, but they differ vocally and morphologically, and recent DNA data from mitochondria and the sex-linked Z chromosome revealed a deep genetic divergence, supporting treatment as two distinct species. Some subspecies currently placed in present species (notably auropectoralis) may belong instead in Lilian's Meadowlark (Sturnella lilianae). Present species is also closely related to Western Meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta). Subspecies hippocrepis may merit full species rank. Subspecific limits, particularly in South America, need further study, e.g. subspecies monticola commonly subsumed into praticola; distributions listed below are tentative. Populations in French Guiana and north-eastern Brazil (Amapá) sometimes treated as subspecies quinta, but type specimen of latter is from Roraima (northern Brazil), technically within range of monticola (or praticola); these three taxa require re-evaluation. Subspecies inexspectata has often been listed as "inexpectata" but this is an unjustified emendation.
The following 17 subspecies are recognised:
magna (Linnaeus, 1758) - Breeds south-eastern Canada (southern Ontario east to New Brunswick) and eastern USA from Minnesota east to Maine south to central Texas and central North Carolina.
argutula Bangs, 1899 - Southern USA from Kansas and Oklahoma east to South Carolina and south to eastern Texas and Florida.
hoopesi Stone, 1897 - Extreme southern USA (south-eastern Texas) and north-eastern Mexico (northern Tamaulipas).
auropectoralis Saunders, GB, 1934 - Highlands of western Mexico from Sinaloa south to upper R Lerma drainage (in México) and to coastal Nayarit.
mexicana Sclater, PL, 1861 - Coastal lowlands of eastern Mexico (from northern Veracruz) south to Guatemala (Petén) and Belize.
griscomi van Tyne & Trautman, 1941 - Coast of northern Yucatán, in south-eastern Mexico.
hippocrepis (Wagler, 1832) - Cuba, including I of Pines.
inexspectata Ridgway, 1888 - Honduras and adjacent north-eastern Nicaragua.
alticola Nelson, 1900 - Highlands from southern Mexico (Chiapas) south to Costa Rica.
subulata Griscom, 1934 - Panama (mostly along Pacific slope).
meridionalis Sclater, PL, 1861 - North-eastern Andes from Colombia (Santander and Cundinamarca) east to north-western Venezuela (Trujillo).
paralios Bangs, 1901 - Northern Colombia (Santa Marta Mts south to western base of eastern Andes ) and savannas of northern and central Venezuela.
praticola Chubb, C, 1921 - Eastern llanos of Colombia and south-eastern Venezuela east to Guyana and Suriname.
monticola Chubb, C, 1921 - Guianan highlands from Venezuela (Bolívar) and Guyana east to French Guiana and extreme northern Brazil (Roraima and Amapá).
lilianae Oberholser, 1930 - Southern USA (from central Arizona, central New Mexico and western Texas) south to northern Mexico (south to northern Sonora and central Chihuahua). Considered by some authors to be a distinct species, Lilian's Meadowlark (Sturnella lilianae).
quinta Dickerman, 1989 - Suriname and north-eastern Amazonian Brazil.
BirdLife International Species Factsheet