466 University of California Publications in Zoology [VOL. 11 



A DETERMINATION OF THE ECONOMIC STATUS OF THE WESTERN 

 MEADOWLARK IN CALIFORNIA 



Field investigation of the damage to crops has led to the 

 following conclusions: 



1. The western meadowlark is destructive to sprouting grain 

 because of its habit of boring down beside the sprout and pulling 

 off the kernel. The amount of damage varies with the location, 

 the abundance of the birds, the time of year, the character of 

 the soil, and the kind of grain. The damage to oats is greatest ; 

 wheat suffers less and barley little. A greater loss can be ex- 

 pected with broadcasted grain than with drilled grain, because 

 not being sowed so deeply it is more readily obtained by meadow- 

 larks. The real amount of damage done has evidently been 

 overestimated, however, for fields apparently badly damaged have 

 given the average yield later in the year. On the other hand, 

 where meadowlarks are very numerous and the quantity of grain 

 small, fields have had to be resown to assure a crop. 



2. In the destruction of sprouting grain we have the only 

 serious count against the meadowlark, for damage to melons, 

 grapes and other crops has been found to be negligible. A 

 number of things minimize the damage done, chief of which is 

 the fact that meadowlarks are able to obtain the kernel for a 

 limited period only. After the second and third leaves have 

 appeared, the plant is well rooted and the loss of the kernel does 

 not destroy the plant. Hence damage is limited to a period of 

 about two weeks on any given field and is reduced by deep 

 planting. 



3. Those factors which make the depredations of the western 

 meadowlark important and those factors which minimize the 

 damage done may be summarized as follows : 



1. Method of pulling sprouting 1. Same method valuable in se- 



grain. curing such insects as cut- 



2. Lack of insect food when grain worms and wireworms. 



is sprouting coupled with the 2. Take a larger percentage of 



availability of grain at the insects than of grain during 



same time. year. 



3. Flocking habit. 3. Apparently driven to grain 



only when insects are not 

 available. 



