North Dakota State Bird

North Dakota designated the Western Meadowlark in 1947 because of its prairie song and close tie to open grassland, the same landscape that shapes much of North Dakota's identity. It was a practical symbolic choice: familiar to residents, visible across much of the state, and easy to connect with local schools, gardens, farms, parks, or conservation culture.

A bright yellow breast crossed by a bold black V makes the Western Meadowlark stand out whenever it pops above prairie grass. In North Dakota, it looks especially at home across mixed-grass prairie, shelterbelts, and open ranch country.

It forages on the ground for insects and seeds, sings from fence posts and shrubs, and nests low in grassland cover. It uses prairie, rangeland, hayfields, and open country with grass structure well, which helps explain why the bird feels familiar well beyond protected areas.

In North Dakota, start with Theodore Roosevelt National Park, Chase Lake National Wildlife Refuge, and Arrowwood National Wildlife Refuge. Scan posts, wires, and slightly raised tufts where singing birds climb up before dropping back into the grass. Spring and early summer are ideal because males sing often and stay more exposed than they do later in the season. These kinds of places match the bird's preferred mix of prairie, rangeland, hayfields, and open country with grass structure.

The Western Meadowlark is currently listed as LC. Western Meadowlarks remain widespread, but large-scale grassland loss and heavy disturbance during nesting season can depress breeding numbers.