There are two subspecies of Western Meadowlark: _neglecta_, the more or
less resident of the interior and the one most folks in Oregon are used
to seeing, and _confluenta_ which is the coastal form which arrives from
British Columbia in September. Birds on the immediate coast this time
of year are almost certainly migrants and are most probably of (or
genetically influenced by) the _confluenta_ group. The _confluenta_
group has much more white in the tail and is much more strikingly yellow
in the breast and throat.
If one gets out one's copy of Pyle (1997), one finds illustrations
depicting the tail patterns of Eastern and Western Meadowlarks. The
pattern on Owen's bird would seem to fall neatly within the range of
expectations for a Western Meadowlark carrying _confluenta_ genes.
But don't let that stop you from going out and enjoying the meadowlarks
at the South Jetty of the Columbia River...
---
Mike Patterson
Astoria, OR
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