How to Identify a Bobolink Bird

The bobolink (Dolychonix oryzivorus) is a member of the blackbird family common to the grasslands of the Upper Great Plains. Bobolinks moved eastward into areas such as New England, notes the "National Audubon Society Field Guide to Birds: Eastern Region," when farming opened up the forests. Male bobolinks are the only North American bird with white markings on the back and black under parts, but only when the bird breeds in the spring and early summer.

Instructions

    • 1

      Look for a medium-sized songbird, in the range of 6 to 8 ½ inches in length. Male and female bobolinks are the same size, with both weighing as much as 2 oz. and possessing wingspans up to 10 ½ inches. Examine the bobolink's bill. It is conical and similar to those of the finches.

    • 2

      Inspect the black and white feathers of the male bobolink after it molts in South America prior to breeding. Look for a bird with white shoulders and a white lower back, but with a dull yellow color on the nape of its neck. The rump is also white or a pale shade of gray, while the face of the male bobolink, along with its tail, belly, chest and wings are black. The male reverts to its non-breeding plumage after the mating season ends.

    • 3

      Observe the colors of the non-breeding male and female bobolink; both sexes look the same. The under parts are yellowish and the birds feature blackish streaks on their backs, sides and underneath the tail. A black stripe exists behind the eye as well as on the top of the bobolink's head. The wings and tail are a shade of brown, with the nape being buff.

    • 4

      Study the flight of the bobolink. When a bobolink flies, it uses many strong wing beats and undulates only slightly as it moves from place to place. Listen for the call of the bobolink in flight, which sounds like a series of gurgling, bubbly phrases strung together. At rest, the bobolink makes a call that resembles the word "pink."

    • 5

      Watch the behavior of migrating bobolinks in the South, where they often frequent rice fields on their way to their winter haunts in South America. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology notes bobolinks eat in such scenarios during the day and even at night before taking off and continuing their journey.