Sturnella lilianae

Oberholser, 1930

Chihuahuan Meadowlark

GNRUnranked Found in 7 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
GNRUnrankedGlobal Rank
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.1253408
Element CodeABPBXB2050
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassAves
OrderPasseriformes
FamilyIcteridae
GenusSturnella
Synonyms
Sturnella magna lilianaeOberholser, 1930
Concept Reference
American Ornithological Society (AOS). Chesser, R. T., S. M. Billerman, K. J. Burns, C. Cicero, J. L. Dunn, B. E. Hernández-Baños, R. A. Jiménez, A. W. Kratter, N. A. Mason, P. C. Rasmussen, J. V. Remsen, Jr., D. F. Stotz, and K. Winker. 2022. Sixty-third Supplement to the American Ornithological Society’s Check-list of North American Birds. Ornithology 139:1-13.
Taxonomic Comments
Formerly (e.g., AOU 1957, 1983, 1998) considered conspecific with S. magna due to similarities in voice and plumage (Lanyon 1962), but separated based on genomic data that indicate that S. magna sensu lato is paraphyletic with respect to S. neglecta, and quantitative differences in vocalizations (Beam et al. 2021); morphological and ecological differences are also considerable (Rohwer 1976). As circumscribed here, S. lilianae consists of subspecies lilianae and auropectoralis (Barker et al. 2008, Beam et al. 2021) (AOS 2022).
Conservation Status
Range Extent200,000-2,500,000 square km (about 80,000-1,000,000 square miles)
Range Extent Comments
Breeds from northern Arizona, northern New Mexico, and western Texas (possibly also in southeastern Colorado), south to northern Sonora and northern Chihuahua, and disjunctly from southern Sinaloa and Durango south along the coast to Nayarit and in the interior to Michoacán and México. Winters from central Arizona and southern New Mexico through the remainder of the breeding range. Casual or accidental in winter west to the Colorado River (Arizona) and east to Kinney and Val Verde counties, Texas (AOS 2022).
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Xeric grasslands [subspecies lilianae] and humid grasslands [subspecies auropectoralis] (AOS 2022).
Terrestrial Habitats
Grassland/herbaceous
Other Nations (1)
United StatesNNR
ProvinceRankNative
New MexicoS4B,S5NYes
ColoradoSNRYes
ArizonaS5Yes
TexasSNRYes
Roadless Areas (7)
Arizona (3)
AreaForestAcres
Arnold MesaPrescott National Forest12,286
ChiricahuaCoronado National Forest76,876
Cimarron HillsCoconino National Forest5,303
New Mexico (4)
AreaForestAcres
Apache Kid ContiguousCibola National Forest67,542
Frisco BoxGila National Forest38,979
Peloncillo (NM)Coronado National Forest43,339
Virgin CanyonSanta Fe National Forest6,068
References (1)
  1. American Ornithological Society (AOS). Chesser, R. T., S. M. Billerman, K. J. Burns, C. Cicero, J. L. Dunn, B. E. Hernández-Baños, R. A. Jiménez, A. W. Kratter, N. A. Mason, P. C. Rasmussen, J. V. Remsen, Jr., D. F. Stotz, and K. Winker. 2022. Sixty-third Supplement to the American Ornithological Society’s Check-list of North American Birds. Ornithology 139:1-13.