# Bobolink

*Dolichonyx oryzivorus*

The Bobolink uses the Earth's magnetic field and the stars to navigate its 12,500-mile annual migration journey.

- **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.

## About

The bobolink ( Dolichonyx oryzivorus ) is a small New World blackbird and the only member of the genus Dolichonyx .

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/7af4ede2-a23a-4869-9e38-e5cf3c7e1551
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/10487
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolichonyx oryzivorus
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/4836761/medium.jpg (Fyn Kynd, CC-BY-SA, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.