Bobolink Dolichonyx oryzivorus Appleton Swift County Minnesota Unites States 30 May Adult Male Icteridae
The Bobolink calls from its song perch in a stylized display meant to drive other male Bobolinks from its nesting territory and attract females to mate with him. Male Bobolinks sing bright, bubbly songs in flight; these songs gave this species its common name. The males also make a unusual display, contorting their bodies while calling, to attract females to their territories. Bobolinks breed in open grassy fields, especially hay fields, across North America. When horses were the main type of transportation, bobolinks increased in numbers due to the demand for hay. Now that hayfields are less extensive, and native prairies are endangered, Bobolinks are in decline. In high-quality habitats, males often have more than one mate. The females lay up to 6 eggs in a cup-shaped ground nest well-hidden in dense vegetation. Both parents feed the young. Bobolinks migrate to Argentina, Bolivia and Paraguay, where they are often found in flocks feeding on cultivated grains and rice. Considered a pest by some farmers. On native prairie, bobolinks forage near the ground, eating seeds and insects.
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Photo credit: © Rick & Nora Bowers / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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