Can We Save the Bobolink?

The cheery “chee, chee, chee” song of the Boblink inspired renown poet, William Cullen Bryant to write a poem about this remarkable prairie bird in the late 19th century. It seems the poem’s name “Robert of Lincoln” is responsible for its current naming “Bob o’Link”. Sadly, this bird’s romantic name has not prevented its population from taking a turn for the worse in recent years. The Bobolink’s numbers are plummeting. In 2010, the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) listed the species as Threatened, leaving researchers to wonder how much longer the “chee chee chee” of the Bobolink will be heard. Can we save this species? 

The Bobolink is a migratory prairie songbird. Every winter, it makes the 20,000 kilometre journey to its wintering ground in South America. This journey is one of the longest migrations of a songbird. Historically, when the Bobolink arrived home in the spring, it could be found in meadows as well as tall grass prairies. Over time, this habitat has been replaced by agricultural lands such as pastures and hayfields. The Bobolink has adjusted fairly well on this accord – indeed its diet includes oat seeds, rice, grain and a variety of insects – all great at helping to nourish its young and fuel its long migration. 

The Bobolink is an unusual kind of songbird as it likes to nest on the ground. Females will find a special place in grasslands, hayfields or pastures to build their nests and in late spring and early summer, they will lay between three and seven eggs. The eggs can range in colour from blueish-gray to reddish brown. They’ll need between 11 and 14 days to stay warm beneath their mothers before they’ll hatch. When the tiny birds break out of their shells, they are sparsely clad in yellow down, unable to see or fly and must hide away among the grasses before their flight feathers grow in. 

Unfortunately, agricultural practices have made the lives of Bobolink young rather difficult and have caused their populations to dwindle. When farmers harvest their crops too soon, many Bobolink nests and eggs are destroyed and hatchlings and females are killed. You can just imagine how devastating this is to the Bobolink. The sad thing is the Bobolink just need a little bit of time to nest and allow the fledglings to learn to fly. After breeding is complete, Bobolinks don’t stick around the area. They move on to waterways like marshes and coasts to molt before they ready themselves for the long flight south once again. 

The Canadian Wildlife Federation is recommending that farmers wait until July 15th every year before they start harvesting. When you cut grasses and hay after July 15th, young Bobolinks will be able to fly away and won’t be killed by the mower. Another option? Cut one area at a time and leave some areas uncut. If a landowners can recognize the Bobolink in their fields, they can keep an eye out and see where the Bobolink spend their time and cut in another area – giving the Bobolink a chance to survive.