The bobolink is a small New World blackbird and the only member of the genus Dolichonyx. An old name for this species is the "rice bird", from its tendency to feed on cultivated grains during winter and migration. The bobolink breeds in the summer in the United States and Canada, with most of the summer range in the northern U.S. Bobolinks winter in southern South America, primarily Paraguay, Argentina, and Bolivia. Bobolink numbers are rapidly declining due to factors such as agricultural intensification and habitat loss; they are considered threatened in Canada, and are at risk throughout their range.
Region
North America and southern South America
Typical Environment
Breeds across open grasslands, hayfields, and prairies of southern Canada and the northern United States. During migration it passes through the eastern United States, the Caribbean, and northern South America, using open fields and marsh edges. In winter it occupies savannas, pastures, and agricultural lands, especially rice fields, in Paraguay, Bolivia, and northern Argentina. It avoids dense forests and prefers expansive, low vegetation where ground nesting and flock foraging are possible.
Altitude Range
0–2500 m
Climate Zone
Temperate
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
Bobolinks are remarkable long‑distance migrants, traveling from North American grasslands to the pampas of southern South America each year. Breeding males are strikingly black with a pale buff nape and white back, while females and nonbreeding males are streaky brown and cryptic. They often form large flocks in migration and winter, frequently foraging in rice fields—hence the nickname “rice bird.” Populations are declining due to loss of grassland habitat and changes in haying practices.
Female
Temperament
social and active
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with buoyant, undulating display flights
Social Behavior
Often nests in loose colonies within extensive grasslands, with ground nests concealed in dense vegetation. Mating systems can be polygynous, and both sexes may attend to young. Outside the breeding season, bobolinks form sizable flocks that move together while foraging and roosting.
Migratory Pattern
Seasonal migrant
Song Description
The male delivers a long, bubbling, metallic song during display flights and from exposed perches, a rapid tumble of notes that rises and falls. Call notes are sharp, metallic “pink” sounds used to keep contact in fields and flocks.
