White-browed Meadowlark

Overview

The white-browed meadowlark (Leistes superciliaris) is a passerine bird in the family Icteridae that was formerly known as the white-browed blackbird. It is a small icterid that is not closely related to the red-winged blackbird group and is currently listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.

Identification

• Males feature mainly black plumage with a bright red throat, belly, and wing epaulets, distinguished by a prominent white supercilium.
• Females display dark brown upperparts edged with buff, buff underparts, and pale streaks through the crown and eye.
• The song begins with a buzzing sound followed by a series of notes described as TZZZZZZ-teee-chu-chu-chak-chak, while the call is a short chuck.
• This species is a small bird, with females being very similar to those of the red-breasted meadowlark.

Habitat

Breeding in north-eastern Brazil and across southern South America, including Paraguay, Uruguay, and Argentina, this species is associated with open country such as moist grasslands, pasture, and cultivation. It prefers areas that provide the odd bush or fence post for males to use as song posts, and southern populations are partially migratory.

Diet

This gregarious bird forages on the ground in a manner similar to a bobolink, feeding mainly on insects and some seeds, including rice.

Did you know?

Nests are frequently targeted by the shiny cowbird; on one recorded occasion, a single nest contained one meadowlark egg alongside 19 cowbird eggs.