Home › Aves › Icteridae › Bobolink (Dolichonyx oryzivorus)

SPECIES PROFILE

Bobolink (Dolichonyx oryzivorus)

Dolichonyx

IUCN STATUS

Threatened

Bobolink (Dolichonyx oryzivorus) — Breeds in meadows across southern Canada from BC to Nova Scotia; winters in Argentina, Bolivia, and southern Brazil

CONSERVATION STATUS

Threatened

CLASS

Aves

GEOGRAPHICAL RANGE

Breeds in meadows across southern Canada from BC to Nova Scotia; winters in Argentina, Bolivia, and southern Brazil

DIET

Omnivore

HABITAT

Open grasslands, hay meadows, and prairie; nests on the ground in tall grass; overwinters in South American pampas

🔬 Classification

PHYLUM

Chordata

CLASS

Aves

ORDER

Passeriformes

FAMILY

Icteridae

GENUS

Dolichonyx

📋 Description

SIZE

16–20 cm; 29–56 g

COLORATION

Males: black below with white rump and back patches and a buffy-yellow nape — uniquely reverse-patterned; females streaky brown

ADAPTATIONS

Long-distance migrant travelling 20,000 km round trip to Argentina; navigates using a magnetic compass and star patterns

🌿 Ecology

HABITAT

Open grasslands, hay meadows, and prairie; nests on the ground in tall grass; overwinters in South American pampas

DIET

Omnivore

GEOGRAPHIC RANGE

Breeds in meadows across southern Canada from BC to Nova Scotia; winters in Argentina, Bolivia, and southern Brazil

REPRODUCTION

Polygynous; males often have two or more mates; nest is a cup on the ground; 4–7 eggs; leaves for South America by August

DIET DETAILS

Insects during breeding season; weed seeds and grain on migration; rice on wintering grounds

⚠️ Threats & Conservation

PRIMARY THREATS

Early hay cutting destroying nests; loss of hay meadow habitat; pesticide use on rice plantations on wintering grounds

💡 Interesting Facts

1

The Bobolink undertakes one of the longest migrations of any North American songbird — roughly 20,000 km round trip navigating by magnetic field and stars.

2

Bobolinks arrive on the breeding grounds after spending the winter in Argentina's pampas; the round-trip migration is equivalent to flying around the Earth twice in a lifetime.

🔭 Sighting Guide

📍 BEST PLACES TO SIGHT

Carden Alvar Conservation Area, ON, is one of Ontario's best sites for breeding Bobolinks in limestone grasslands

Ottawa Valley farmland near Carleton Place, ON, has good populations of Bobolinks in hay meadows

Compton County in the Eastern Townships, QC, supports Bobolinks in traditional dairy farming hayfields

🗓️ BEST TIME TO SIGHT

Summer. Visit hayfields in southern Ontario and Quebec in June when males sing conspicuously from fence posts.

🎯 SIGHTING TIPS

Mid-May through July in meadows and agricultural fields with tall grass; Carden Alvar and Carleton Place areas of Ontario are strongholds.