Bobolink
Dolichonyx oryzivorus
The Bobolink uses the Earth's magnetic field and the stars to navigate its 12,500-mile annual migration journey.
- Scientific name
- Dolichonyx oryzivorus
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Chordata › Aves › Passeriformes › Icteridae › Dolichonyx
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- decreasing
- Biome
- grassland
- Habitat
- Tallgrass prairies, hayfields, and overgrown meadows.
- Diet
- Insects (beetles, caterpillars) during nesting season; seeds and rice during migration.
- Range
- North America, South America, Galapagos Islands
- Size
- Length: 16-18 cm; Wingspan: 27 cm; Weight: 28-56g
- Lifespan
- 2 to 9 years
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Intensive agricultural haying, habitat fragmentation, and pesticide exposure.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless and shy. Best observed from a distance with binoculars to avoid trampling ground nests. If you find a nest in tall grass, leave the area immediately to prevent abandonment.
The bobolink ( Dolichonyx oryzivorus ) is a small New World blackbird and the only member of the genus Dolichonyx .
Photo: Fyn Kynd, CC-BY-SA, via iNaturalist
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