Sturnella loyca The long-tailed meadowlark (Leistes loyca) is a passerine bird of southern South America and the Falkland Islands, belonging to the meadowlark genus Leistes in the icterid family that looks very similar to the related endangered species, the Pampas meadowlark.

The breast and throat are bright red and there is a white spot on the face near the base of the bill.

Females are paler than the males with the red markings restricted to a wash on the belly and the supercilium and throat are buff.

An endemic subspecies, L. loyca falklandica, occurs in the Falkland Islands, where it is known as the military starling.

[2] Long-tailed meadowlarks are found in open habitats such as grassland where they forage on the ground, feeding mainly on invertebrates.