The eggs are white with brown and lavender spots concentrated at the wider end. Incubation takes two weeks and the young are full grown 6 weeks after hatching. Nesting and brood-rearing chores are done primarily by the female, although the male may help feed the young. Cowbirds lay their eggs in other birds nests. Other species will raise the baby cowbirds as if they were their own.
Meadowlarks are ground feeders.
The majority of their food during the growing season is insects, spiders and other small invertebrates. Some seeds are eaten also, and that becomes the bulk of their food in the winter. During winter meadowlarks will form into flocks of up to a few hundred individuals which are often seen foraging in fields and pastures. While foraging, a meadowlark walks slowly through the vegetation, occasionally picking and probing with its long pointed bill. When it spots an enemy, it will typically freeze and hunker down while casting a wary eye at the source of concern.