We observed Eastern Meadowlark (Sturnella magna) nests in Conservation Reserve Program grasslands in east-central Illinois to examine the influence of the surrounding agricultural landscape on nestling diets. Esophageal ligatures were applied to 3- and 6-day old nestlings to examine food items brought to the nest. The most common items were spiders (44% of total volume; primarily wolf spiders [Hogna spp.]), followed by orthopterans (23%; crickets, grasshoppers, and katydids), and lepidopteran larvae (18%, primarily cutworms). Adult Eastern Meadowlarks foraged more often than expected in soybean fields.
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1 June 2012
Nestling Diet of Eastern Meadowlarks in East-central Illinois
Susan Linn Ostrand,
Eric K. Bollinger
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The Wilson Journal of Ornithology
Vol. 124 • No. 2
June 2012
Vol. 124 • No. 2
June 2012