Dolichonyx oryzivorus
While the female Bobolink is dressed in sparrow drabs, the male, with his dark belly and light-and-dark upperparts, is colored like no other bird in the Rockies. Roger Tory Peterson was inspired to describe the male Bobolink as wearing a backward tuxedo! Male Bobolinks execute their polygynous breeding strategies with zest, gracing cool spring hayfields with their delicate songs. Their vigilance is short-lived, however, because their plumage and attitude soon fade when summer wanes and the fields turn gold. The paraphrase of the Bobolink's song given below is from the poem 'Robert of Lincoln,' by American poet William Cullen Bryant. The original name of this bird was 'bobolincon,' which is arguably more onomatopoeic than its current name.
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I.D.: Breeding male: black bill, head, wings, tail and underparts; buff nape; white rump and wing patch. Breeding female: mottled brown overall; streaked back, flank and rump; pale eyebrow; dark eye line; light central crown stripe bordered by brown stripes. Fall male: similar to breeding female, but darker above and golden-buff below. Size: L 6-8 in. (15-20 cm). Range: locally common breeder in the northern and southern U.S. Rockies; possible breeder in Yellowstone NP; rare to uncommon migrant in most of the Rockies. Habitat: tall, grassy meadows, prairies, hayfields and croplands up to the montane. Nesting: typically east of the Rockies; on the ground, well concealed by tall grass; cup nest is loosely woven with coarse grass, plant stems and fine materials; female incubates 5-6 eggs for 10-13 days. Feeding: gleans the ground and low vegetation for adult and larval invertebrates; also eats many seeds. Voice: banjo-like twangs: bobolink bobolink spink spank spink. Similar Species: breeding male is distinctive. Savannah Sparrow: faint breast streaks; yellow lore. Vesper Sparrow: faint breast streaks; white outer tail feathers. Grasshopper Sparrow: white belly; golden orange in face. |
