Species BirdsBobolink

Bobolink

Dolichonyx oryzivorus

CommonBird
Illustration of Bobolink (Dolichonyx oryzivorus)

The Bobolink makes one of the longest migrations of any North American songbird — a round-trip of nearly 12,500 miles to the Argentine pampas and back. The breeding male is dramatically patterned in reverse — black below, cream and white above — unique among North American birds. Its bubbly, mechanical song sounds like R2-D2 from Star Wars.

Habitat
Tall grass meadows, hayfields, and wetland margins
Diet
Seeds, insects, and rice on wintering grounds
How common
Common

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