Bobolink
Encyclopedia
The Bobolink is a small New World blackbird
and the only member of genus Dolichonyx.
-like bills. They weigh about 1 ounces (28.3 g). Adult males are mostly black, although they do display creamy napes, and white scapulars, lower backs and rumps. Adult females are mostly light brown, although their coloring includes black streaks on the back and flanks, and dark stripes on the head; their wings and tails are darker. The collective name for a group of bobolinks is a chain.
Their breeding habitats are open grassy fields, especially hay
fields, across North America
. In high-quality habitats, males are often polygynous. Females lay 5 to 6 egg
s in a cup-shaped nest, which is always situated on the ground and is usually well-hidden in dense vegetation. Both parents feed the young.
These birds migrate
to Argentina
, Bolivia
and Paraguay
. One bird was tracked flying 12000 miles (19,312.1 km) over the course of the year, and up to 1100 miles (1,770.3 km) in one day.
They often migrate in flocks, feeding on cultivated grains and rice
, which leads to them being considered a pest by farmers in some areas. Although Bobolinks migrate long distances, they have rarely been sighted in Europe
—like many vagrants from the Americas, the overwhelming majority of records are from the British Isles
.
Each fall, Bobolinks gather in large numbers in South American rice fields, where they are inclined to eat grain. This has earned them the name "ricebird" in these parts. However, they are called something entirely different in Jamaica
(Butterbirds) where they are collected as food, being that they are very fat as they pass through on migration.
Bobolinks forage on, or near the ground, and mainly eat seed
s and insect
s.
Males sing bright, bubbly songs in flight; these songs gave this species its common name
.
The numbers of these birds are declining due to loss of habitat
. In Vermont
, a 75% decline was noted between 1966 to 2007. Originally, they were found in tall grass prairie
and other open areas with dense grass. Although hay fields are suitable nesting habitat, fields which are harvested early, or at multiple times, in a season may not allow sufficient time for young birds to fledge. This species increased in numbers when horse
s were the primary mode of transportation, requiring larger supplies of hay.
penned many poems about the bird, such as the following one:
(The text follows R.W. Franklin's edition; the numbering is 1620 in Franklin's edition, while it is listed as 1591 in Thomas H. Johnson's.)
The bobolink is also mentioned in the song Evelina by Harold Arlen
and Yip Harburg
, from the musical Bloomer Girl
:
The bobolink is also one of the many important ornithological references in Vladimir Nabokov
's John Shade
's poem "Pale Fire
" in the novel of the same name:
Sophia Jewett ends her poem "An Exile's Garden" (1910) with a reference to a bobolink:
Icterid
The Icterids are a group of small to medium-sized, often colorful passerine birds restricted to the New World. Most species have black as a predominant plumage color, often enlivened by yellow, orange or red. The family is extremely varied in size, shape, behavior and coloration...
and the only member of genus Dolichonyx.
Description
Adults are 16–18 cm (6–8 in) long with short finchFinch
The true finches are passerine birds in the family Fringillidae. They are predominantly seed-eating songbirds. Most are native to the Northern Hemisphere, but one subfamily is endemic to the Neotropics, one to the Hawaiian Islands, and one subfamily – monotypic at genus level – is found...
-like bills. They weigh about 1 ounces (28.3 g). Adult males are mostly black, although they do display creamy napes, and white scapulars, lower backs and rumps. Adult females are mostly light brown, although their coloring includes black streaks on the back and flanks, and dark stripes on the head; their wings and tails are darker. The collective name for a group of bobolinks is a chain.
Their breeding habitats are open grassy fields, especially hay
Hay
Hay is grass, legumes or other herbaceous plants that have been cut, dried, and stored for use as animal fodder, particularly for grazing livestock such as cattle, horses, goats, and sheep. Hay is also fed to pets such as rabbits and guinea pigs...
fields, across North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. In high-quality habitats, males are often polygynous. Females lay 5 to 6 egg
Egg (biology)
An egg is an organic vessel in which an embryo first begins to develop. In most birds, reptiles, insects, molluscs, fish, and monotremes, an egg is the zygote, resulting from fertilization of the ovum, which is expelled from the body and permitted to develop outside the body until the developing...
s in a cup-shaped nest, which is always situated on the ground and is usually well-hidden in dense vegetation. Both parents feed the young.
These birds migrate
Bird migration
Bird migration is the regular seasonal journey undertaken by many species of birds. Bird movements include those made in response to changes in food availability, habitat or weather. Sometimes, journeys are not termed "true migration" because they are irregular or in only one direction...
to Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
and Paraguay
Paraguay
Paraguay , officially the Republic of Paraguay , is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. Paraguay lies on both banks of the Paraguay River, which runs through the center of the...
. One bird was tracked flying 12000 miles (19,312.1 km) over the course of the year, and up to 1100 miles (1,770.3 km) in one day.
They often migrate in flocks, feeding on cultivated grains and rice
Rice
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
, which leads to them being considered a pest by farmers in some areas. Although Bobolinks migrate long distances, they have rarely been sighted in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
—like many vagrants from the Americas, the overwhelming majority of records are from the British Isles
British Isles
The British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe that include the islands of Great Britain and Ireland and over six thousand smaller isles. There are two sovereign states located on the islands: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and...
.
Each fall, Bobolinks gather in large numbers in South American rice fields, where they are inclined to eat grain. This has earned them the name "ricebird" in these parts. However, they are called something entirely different in Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
(Butterbirds) where they are collected as food, being that they are very fat as they pass through on migration.
Bobolinks forage on, or near the ground, and mainly eat seed
Seed
A seed is a small embryonic plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat, usually with some stored food. It is the product of the ripened ovule of gymnosperm and angiosperm plants which occurs after fertilization and some growth within the mother plant...
s and insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
s.
Males sing bright, bubbly songs in flight; these songs gave this species its common name
Common name
A common name of a taxon or organism is a name in general use within a community; it is often contrasted with the scientific name for the same organism...
.
The numbers of these birds are declining due to loss of habitat
Habitat (ecology)
A habitat is an ecological or environmental area that is inhabited by a particular species of animal, plant or other type of organism...
. In Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
, a 75% decline was noted between 1966 to 2007. Originally, they were found in tall grass prairie
Prairie
Prairies are considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the dominant vegetation type...
and other open areas with dense grass. Although hay fields are suitable nesting habitat, fields which are harvested early, or at multiple times, in a season may not allow sufficient time for young birds to fledge. This species increased in numbers when horse
Horse
The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
s were the primary mode of transportation, requiring larger supplies of hay.
Media references
Emily DickinsonEmily Dickinson
Emily Elizabeth Dickinson was an American poet. Born in Amherst, Massachusetts, to a successful family with strong community ties, she lived a mostly introverted and reclusive life...
penned many poems about the bird, such as the following one:
- The Bobolink is gone — The Rowdy of the Meadow —
- And no one swaggers now but me —
- The Presbyterian Birds can now resume the Meeting
- He gaily interrupted that overflowing Day
- When opening the Sabbath in their afflictive Way
- He bowed to Heaven instead of Earth
- And shouted Let us pray —
(The text follows R.W. Franklin's edition; the numbering is 1620 in Franklin's edition, while it is listed as 1591 in Thomas H. Johnson's.)
The bobolink is also mentioned in the song Evelina by Harold Arlen
Harold Arlen
Harold Arlen was an American composer of popular music, having written over 500 songs, a number of which have become known the world over. In addition to composing the songs for The Wizard of Oz, including the classic 1938 song, "Over the Rainbow,” Arlen is a highly regarded contributor to the...
and Yip Harburg
Yip Harburg
Edgar Yipsel Harburg , known as E.Y. Harburg or Yip Harburg, was an American popular song lyricist who worked with many well-known composers...
, from the musical Bloomer Girl
Bloomer Girl
Bloomer Girl was a Broadway musical that premiered on October 4, 1944. Sig Herzig and Fred Saidy wrote the book, Harold Arlen the music, and E.Y. Harburg the lyrics. Agnes de Mille was the choreographer...
:
- Evelina, won't ya ever take a shine to that moon?
- Evelina, ain't ya bothered by the bobolink's tune?
The bobolink is also one of the many important ornithological references in Vladimir Nabokov
Vladimir Nabokov
Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov was a multilingual Russian novelist and short story writer. Nabokov wrote his first nine novels in Russian, then rose to international prominence as a master English prose stylist...
's John Shade
John Shade
John Shade is a fictional character in Vladimir Nabokov's 1962 novel Pale Fire.-Shade and family:The structure is notoriously difficult to unravel, but most readers agree that Shade is a poet married to his teenage sweetheart, Sybil. Their only child, a daughter named Hazel, apparently committed...
's poem "Pale Fire
Pale Fire
Pale Fire is a novel by Vladimir Nabokov. The novel is presented as a 999-line poem titled "Pale Fire", written by the fictional John Shade, with a foreword and lengthy commentary by a neighbor and academic colleague of the poet. Together these elements form a narrative in which both authors are...
" in the novel of the same name:
- But all at once it dawned on me that this
- Was the real point, the contrapuntal theme;
- Just this: not text, but texture; not the dream
- But topsy-turvical coincidence,
- Not flimsy nonsense, but a web of sense.
- Yes! It sufficed that I in life could find
- Some kind of link-and-bobolink, some kind
- Of correlated pattern in the game,
- Plexed artistry, and something of the same
- Pleasure in it as they who played it found.
Sophia Jewett ends her poem "An Exile's Garden" (1910) with a reference to a bobolink:
- I live in the heart of a garden
- With cypresses all about;
- To the east and west, and the south and north,
- Straight shadowy paths run out.
- There are ancient gods in my garden;
- They have faces young and pale;
- And a hundred thousand roses here
- Enrapture the nightingale.
- Yet, among the gods of the garden,
- The roses and gods, I think,
- Daylong, of a far-off clover field,
- And the song of a bob-o-link.