What is the State Bird of Montana? (And Why?)

Montana is known for its many mountainous regions. It is the 44th most populous and 4th largest in the United States. Montana’s state animal is the grizzly bear, but what is the state bird?

In 1931, Montana named its state bird the western meadowpit (Sturnella neglecta). You can easily recognize this meadowlark by its bright colors. Striped and spotted, this medium-sized bird seems to have considered everything that its habitat on the open prairies of Montana has to offer. With their thoughtful, introspective demeanor, the Western Meadow Pipit tops the state’s list of schoolchildren. You may find this carnivore eating bugs, but it will eat seeds and berries in a pinch.

Montana’s state bird, the western meadowpit

Why is the western meadowpit the state bird of Montana?

Schoolchildren in the Treasure State have chosen the western meadowpit, also known as the wild meadowpit, as their state bird. This bird has made its home in the Great Heaven and flies between the mountains and fields, easily recognizable by its bright yellow belly and breast.

When did the western meadowpit become Montana’s state bird?

Montana didn’t name its state bird until 1931. After the contest was over and the schoolchildren’s ballots were counted, the state legislature named the bird and it became law on March 14, 1931. Montana shares the Western Meadow Pipit as its state bird with Kansas, Oregon, Nebraska, North Dakota, and Wyoming.

Western Meadowpittle in flight

What does Montana’s state bird look like?

If you thought all members of the blackbird family had solid black plumage, yellow-breasted feathers and a short, pointed tail grace Montana’s ranches and prairies.

While some meadowpits look alike, you can spot this state bird by its V-shaped black band and black and gray beak. This blackbird also boasts brown and tan plumage marked with black and white.

The western meadowpit is 6.5 to 10 inches long from head to tail and has a wingspan of up to 16 inches. Despite its size, this bird only weighs three to four ounces.

Western Meadowpittle singing loudly, perched on a post

How are these birds behaving?

Look for meadowpittles during the day, when they are most active. Unlike some other prairie birds, these birds spend the night peacefully, hiding in sheltered places. They don’t sing at night. Although they are ground-dwelling birds, they hide their nests in grasses and sparse shrubs. They still have to be quiet because predators can find them by sound. Still, they don’t live in forests or dense undergrowth. They just keep silent at night.

The bonding of these birds takes some time. Males first establish their own breeding grounds. Females flock to different breeding grounds and decide on a male based on his song. Male western meadowpits spend about a month establishing and defending their territories before the arrival of females. Male meadowlarks sing to attract females. When she hears her preferred courtship call, the female flies to its source to meet the male. Listen for the flute-like whistle. A female responds to a male she likes by cooing “tee-tee-tee.”

Western Meadow Pipit in Grass

Companion for men and women. She continues to coo as she deals with building the nest where she lays her eggs. She sings as she builds the nest, making it easy for him to find her to help build the nest. She dug four to five inches deep and two to three inches wide. It is shaped like an orange juice glass, but the axis of the nest can reach seven to eight inches. The nest is filled with grass, dried stems, and shrubs, and the six to eight-day construction process is complete, and the female lays her eggs.

The female incubates the eggs for 13 to 16 days. The mother bird takes care of the chicks until they reach maturity. They can leave the den at two weeks old. They come out of their ground nests because they can’t fly yet. Their parents continue to care for them while they explore their parental breeding grounds. They learn to fly when they are about five to six weeks old. Learning to fly allows them to explore areas beyond their parents’ breeding range. This allows them to establish their own hunting areas and eventually their own breeding grounds.

Western Meadowpit taking off from a tree

Each breeding season, the male meadowpit mates with two females. Each female uses her own breeding grounds to build her own nest, and the males bring food to both nests. Once the chicks hatch from their eggs, they are fiercely protected by their doting parents. He spends time with his father’s two families. Men contribute to child rearing.

These birds do not like humans. If one interacts with their nest, the pair will abandon it and the eggs. This makes it absolutely impossible to approach a meadowlark’s nest. Teach your children to stay away from their dens as well.

If an animal approaches, the male meadowlark will loudly chase away the privacy culprit. The Predator might be bigger than him, but that doesn’t matter. The busy father bird guards both nests to protect his offspring and mate.

Looking up in Big Sky country, you can spot a territorial male western meadowpit protecting its young by perching on electrical or telephone lines, fences or poles. The height of these structures allows birds to survey their breeding grounds and quickly spot predators before they threaten either nest.

Western Meadow Pipit with mouth full of insects

Do western meadowlarks form communities?

Meadowpittles form nuclear families, although males have two families. These monogamous birds practice serial monogamy. This means they can only mate with one female at a time, but not for life.

They nest with each female, breed with them, and provide equal food for both families. For this reason, the males of this species are constantly hunting, dropping food in each nest. Female birds feed their young.

Only in winter do the males of this species hunt in packs; the rest of the year they hunt alone.

Montana meadowpittles may relocate or migrate. They may also choose to spend the winter in Montana. It depends on the bird. Some birds spend the winter in the southern U.S. states, while others fly to Mexico. The birds may migrate north to Canada in late April or early May when the weather warms up.

The Eastern Meadow Pipit is also present, while the Western Meadow Pipit sometimes flies to its breeding grounds. Western and eastern meadowlarks will mate when needed, but their offspring will be less vigorous.

Western meadowpittle foraging on the ground

What do western meadowlarks eat?

The meadowpittle’s diet varies throughout the year, subsisting on insects in warm weather but reverting to berries and grain seeds the rest of the year. The thrush is considered a gourmand in the avian world, feeding on grasshoppers, cutworms, ants, beetles and other insects. They peck the ground like chicks to scoop up a delicious dinner.