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Is meadowlark habitat segregation within sympatry behaviorally mediated

The Eastern and Western Meadowlark are morphologically and ecologically similar species that co-occur within a recently expanded zone of secondary contact. Where they cooccur, Eastern and Western Meadowlarks establish and maintain mutually exclusive, multi-use territories. In this study I examined how well food resources and habitat associations could predict Eastern and Western Meadowlark densities as well as the relative composition of Eastern to Western Meadowlarks across a large remnant grassland, using an information theoretic approach. I found that Eastern and Western Meadowlarks responded to habitat features in different ways. Eastern Meadowlark density was best predicted by increasing cover of standing dead vegetation and decreasing exposure of bare ground, while Western Meadowlark density was best predicted by increasing cover of crown vetch. Meadowlarks were also segregated across the study area. The relative composition of meadowlarks among study plots differentiated along vegetation gradients such that plots were likely to be dominated by Eastern Meadowlarks as percent graminoid cover increased and crown vetch cover decreased. These results indicate differential habitat use between sympatric meadowlarks, which likely reflect differences in behavioral interactions between these species detailed in Chapter 3.