Bobolink

Overview

The bobolink (Dolichonyx oryzivorus) is a small New World blackbird and the sole member of the genus Dolichonyx. Known historically as the 'rice bird', it is the only land bird species known to migrate annually through the Galápagos Islands.

Identification

• Adults are 16–18 cm long with short, finch-like bills and weigh approximately 28 g.
• Adult males are predominantly black with creamy napes and white scapulars, lower backs, and rumps.
• Adult females are mostly light brown with black streaks on the back and flanks, dark stripes on the head, and darker wings and tails.
• The male's song is described as a 'bubbling delirium of ecstatic music' that even mockingbirds cannot reproduce.

Habitat

Bobolinks breed in summer across much of southern Canada and the northern United States, historically in tallgrass and mixed-grass prairies but currently often in open grassy fields such as hay fields. They migrate long distances to winter in southern South America, primarily in Paraguay, Argentina, and Bolivia.

Diet

Bobolinks forage on or near the ground, feeding mainly on seeds and insects. They are nicknamed the 'armyworm bird' for their predation on large numbers of armyworms, acting as a natural form of pest control for farmers.

Did you know?

Bobolinks are the only species of land bird known to annually migrate through the Galápagos Islands, which are over 2,000 km from their primary migration route. Their presence on the islands has led to hypotheses that they may act as vectors for avian malaria-causing parasites.