"... [the eastern and western meadowlark] cannot be safely distinguished in the field except by song ... The generic meadowlark has a black V-shaped breast band against yellow underparts. The band is sharply defined in breeding plumage but duller and more diffuse in the fall and winter. The dark brown feathers of the upperparts are lighter along the edges to give a streaked appearance ... The eastern meadowlark ... is a year-round resident in the eastern half of Texas, westward to the Panhandle and Austin ... The western meadowlark breeds though ... a range that includes the Panhandle, the Staked Plains and Trans-Pecos Texas. It, too, wanders in winter across the state, although it is rare along the eastern edge."

"Western Meadowlark is common to abundant during the winter through the western half of the state, east to the Blackland Pairies and south through the South Texas Brush Country, and it is locally uncommon east to the Pineywoods, there it is very rare but regular." (The Texas Ornithological Society Handbook of Texas Birds, p. 209).

"... winters in loose flocks, often mixed with Eastern where range overlaps ... Averages grayer overall, with less contrasting head pattern and less white on tail." (The Sibley Guide to Birds of Eastern North America, p. 399)

So ... I have five reasons for thinking that this bird is a Western Meadowlark, but in light of the cautions above, the identification must be tentative.

First. The behavior of these birds contrasts with the Eastern Meadowlarks. When threatened, the Eastern Meadowlark will flush like a quail and flee. These birds did none of that. When I got too close, they preferred to scurry away on foot.

Second. There is a difference in the white on their tails. There is this contrast.

Third. The patterning on their backs seems different. There is this contrast.

Fourth. The yellow and black chevron on the Eastern Meadowlark is sharp and contrasty. The yellow and black on these birds was much more diffuse. These pictures were taken 24 hours apart so that time of year cannot explain the difference, nor, I think, can it be male vs. female.

Fifth. The patterning on the cheeks seems different. There is this comparison.