Splashes of white -- Part 2

Okay, here are the mystery feathers from last night:

 

I realize that was tough because there's not much context, so here are a few hints.

I encountered the feathers in a coastal grassland.  Along with the feathers shown above, some had even more white:

 

Most of the other feathers in the area were brown with darker barred patterning.  The longest feathers I found were ~5-6 inches (12-15 cm) long.

 

 

I was moving along, scanning the various feathers, trying to put together a picture of the bird's identity.  Along with the tail and wing feathers shown above, there were brownish body feathers with somewhat similar colors and markings:

 

Then I looked ahead and spotted some feathers that clinched the identification.  I think the next photos will help you figure out the identity of this medium-sized grassland bird, too:

 

 

The bright yellow and black body feathers, along with the large amount of white on the outer tail feathers, leads to Western Meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta). 

John mentioned the U.S. Fish and Wildife Service's Feather Atlas as a resource for identifying feathers.  Here's an example of meadowlark tail feathers from the Feather Atlas.  And here's a link to some older photos of Western Meadowlarks on Bodega Head.

I don't recall encountering meadowlark feathers before.  It was fun to see the patterns up close.  I also wondered what happened to it — who caught the meadowlark?  A falcon?  A harrier?  Have you seen a predator chasing adult meadowlarks?  

(I just tried to learn more about meadowlark predators.  Along with falcons, I was somewhat surprised to see Great Egret and Burrowing Owl listed as possible predators on adult meadowlarks.  Who knew?)