Red-breasted Meadowlark (Leistes militaris) | Photos, Calls and ID

LCLeast ConcernInvertebrates

GrasslandCup nestSmall · 48 g

Red-breasted Meadowlark (Leistes militaris), photo 4 — Photo: (c) Anthony Batista, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC-BY

Red-breasted Meadowlark (Leistes militaris), photo 5 — Photo: (c) William Stephens, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC-BY

Red-breasted Meadowlark (Leistes militaris), photo 6 — Photo: (c) Dan Riley, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC-BY

Red-breasted Meadowlark (Leistes militaris), photo 7 — Photo: (c) Guillaume Delaitre, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC-BY

Red-breasted Meadowlark (Leistes militaris), photo 8 — Photo: (c) Roger A. Morales-Flores, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC-BY

Red-breasted Meadowlark (Leistes militaris), photo 9 — Photo: (c) GERMAN LEONEL SARMIENTO CRUZ, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC-BY

Red-breasted Meadowlark (Leistes militaris), photo 10 — Photo: (c) Navin Sasikumar, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC-BY

What the Red-breasted Meadowlark sounds like

Sonogram of the Red-breasted Meadowlark: time runs left to right, pitch bottom to top, and the brighter the mark the louder the sound.

Recorded by Niels Krabbe · Song · Napo: km 1.5 Inchillaqui road near Archidona, Ecuador · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via xeno-canto

ID tip

The red-breasted meadowlark is a small icterid, 19 cm (7.5 in) long and weighing 40–48 g (1.4–1.7 oz). Males are larger than females. The male has mainly black plumage, apart from a bright red throat, belly and wing epaulets. This striking "redcoat" plumage gives rise to the specific name militaris and the Trinidadian name "soldier bird". The female has buff edged dark brown upperpart feathers, buff underparts with a reddish tinge, and pale streaks through the crown and eye. Juveniles resemble the female, but are paler and lack the reddish tint to the underparts.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

When to see the Red-breasted Meadowlark

One bar for each month, and every month is filled: this bird is recorded here in all twelve. The wide bar is January, the month with the most records.

Where to see the Red-breasted Meadowlark

Regular range

The map shades 13 countries with regular records. Everything unshaded has no records. Countries are listed below the map.

Colombia Costa Rica Panama Brazil Trinidad & Tobago Ecuador Venezuela Peru Guyana French Guiana Suriname Bolivia Nicaragua

About the Red-breasted Meadowlark

The red-breasted meadowlark is a passerine bird in the New World family Icteridae. It was formerly named red-breasted blackbird but is not closely related to the red-winged blackbird group.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Easily confused with

White-browed MeadowlarkLeistes superciliarisThe white-browed meadowlark is a passerine bird in the New World family Icteridae.

Peruvian MeadowlarkLeistes bellicosusThe Peruvian meadowlark is about 21 cm (8.3 in) long and weighs 61 to 78 g (2.2 to 2.8 oz); males are larger than females.

Pampas MeadowlarkLeistes defilippiiPampas meadowlark males average 21 cm (8.3 in) long.

Side by side: Long-tailed Meadowlark vs Red-breasted Meadowlark · Oriole Blackbird vs Red-breasted Meadowlark · Mexican Cacique vs Red-breasted Meadowlark · Peruvian Meadowlark vs Red-breasted Meadowlark

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