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| Female | Male |
Bobolink
Photos by Bruce
Dayton
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| Female | Male |
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ORDER:
Passeriformes
FAMILY:
Icteridae
(Blackbirds and Orioles - 23 Species)
SPECIES: Bobolink
(Dolichonyx oryzivorus)
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Bobolink |
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Bobolinks are migratory grassland birds known for their pleasant flight song. Their populations have generally declined throughout their breeding range. Mowing of hay fields where they are nesting and livestock grazing are both threats to breeding Bobolinks. |
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SIZE |
The Bobolink adults are medium sized 6-7 inches long bird and the only member of the genus Dolichonyx. |
| DESCRIPTION | They
have and short, sharply pointed tail feathers (See picture above). The adult breeding male has a black face and a black, pointed (finch-like) bill. They are mainly black with a creamy-buff nape and white scapulars, lower back and rump patch. The non-breeding male is similar to the female. The adult female is mainly light buff-brown with dark streaks on the head, back, side and flanks. Their wings and tail are darker. |
| NESTING | The
female Bobolink builds a loosely woven cup nest on the ground in dense
vegetation usually in a shallow depression. The Clutch
size ranges from 4-7 eggs, which are
incubated in 10
to 12 days by the female. |
| RANGE | The
bobolink's breeding and nesting range extends across southern Canada
down through the states south to West Virginia and west to Nebraska, through
the Dakotas and into Montana with any significant numbers of breeding
pairs.
In the winter these birds migrate to their winter range in Central and South America. Some travel, usually in large flocks, over 12,000 miles during migration. |
| HABITAT | Their breeding habitat is open grassy fields, such as hayfields and lightly grazed pastures across North America. |
| DIET | Bobolinks forage on or near the ground and mainly eat seeds. During the breeding season they also eat insects and other invertebrates. In winter, they have shown a preference for rice and some cultivated grains. |
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| Bobolink | |
| Catlin
Township Chemung County, New York |
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| Bobo_354A_052619 | Bobo_354A_052637 |
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| Bobo_354A_052613 | Bobo_354A_051842 |
| Groton
Township Tompkins County, New York |
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| Bobo_354A_052392 | |
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| Bobolink Drawing by Louis Agassiz Fuertes |
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| INTERESTING FACTS |
| Sexual Dimorphism |
| This describes the condition in which males and females of the same species look different from each other, most often because of differences in body size, color, or shape. With birds, sexual dimorphism is often expressed in differing plumage colors. |
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Please email with any ideas or comments concerning this web page. |
| The images on this web page are copyrighted © 2003 - 2007 by Bruce Dayton. I want to share my photos to promote conservation and to help people identify and learn about the birds and other creatures that live with us on the North American continent. Please do not use any of my work in any non-profit or for-profit project without first getting written permission from me. You can ask for permission by emailing me at webmaster@wildlifeofnorthamerica.info. All reproductions must bear an appropriate credit. |
NOTE: This site will be updated as time and pictures become available.
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