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The Bobolink is a blackbird, commonly found in open grassy fields, meadows and marshes. Cleared and abandoned areas provide habitat for the Bobolink in the Algonquin Highlands. Natural habitats also exist; islands of huge open bogs or marshes.
With a size of about 15 to 20 cm, the colourations of the Bobolink differ from male to female. Males are mainly black, with white on the rump and back, and dull yellow on the nape of the neck. Females and winter males are buff-yellow, with black streaks on the back and crown.
The male Bobolink courts the female with its head down, feathers fanned, and wings arched downward, displaying his stunning white shoulder patches. Crude nests of grass, stems, and rootlets are placed on the ground in a field, well hidden from predators. Females will lay between 4 to 7 gray eggs, spotted with red-brown and purple.
The Bobolink migrates south for the winter, gathering in large numbers in rice fields to eat grain. Their flight song consists of bubbling, gurgling phrases of varying pitch. It is a very joyous sound to encounter in the wilderness.
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BOBLINK
Dolichonyx oryzivorus
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