The Western Meadowlark prefers drier grasslands and the Eastern chooses more moist situations. Only the Western is found west of the Great Plains. East of the Great Plains, the Eastern predominates although the Western has recently extended its summer range into the Great Lakes region and the Ohio Valley.
Meadowlarks are members of the blackbird family.
Other blackbird species may have non-black females, but meadowlarks are unique in not having mostly black colors on the male. Just looking at them, the two species are very difficult to tell apart. A key difference is the extent of yellow on the feathers below the eye. In the Western, the yellow feathers extend behind the lower jaw, while in the Eastern the yellow feathers stop on the throat below the lower line of the lower jaw. The songs of the two are very different, however.