ML22250991
Contributor
Homer Hansen Media from this contributor
Date
Location
San Rafael Grasslands
Santa Cruz, Arizona, United States
Media from this location Illustrated Checklist- Age
- Not specified
- Sex
- Not specified
Observation details
I found the meadowlark hoping along the road soon after cresting the hill out of Harshaw Canyon. The meadowlark was carrying a fairly large lizard (Southwestern Fence Lizard, Sceloporus cowlesi) that it proceeded to bang on the ground and using its bill to poke and prod at the body. It eventually began to consume the lizard in a "pecking fashion," apparently not adept at softening the body or attempting to swallow whole. After about 5 minutes, the meadowlark flew off with the body into the grass (about 100 feet away), so I was unable to witness how much it might consume. It is my suspicion that the lizard was roadkill, given where I first observed the meadowlark, and it was simply opportunistic feeding by the meadowlark.
Technical information
- Dimensions
- 879 pixels x 340 pixels
- Original file size
- 106.58 KB