bobolink, credit: Dave Inman CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
Threatened Provincially and Nationally
Description
• Medium-sized songbird inhabiting grasslands, pastures and hayfields
• In summer, male is black with a white back and yellow collar; female is tan colour with black stripes
• Named for its bubbling musical song
• Builds small nest on the ground in dense grasses; both parents tend young, sometimes with the help of a third bird
Range
• Breeds across North America
• Widely distributed throughout most of Ontario south of the boreal forest, where suitable habitat exists
Threats
• Habitat loss and degradation
• Incidental mortality (mowing of hay during the breeding season)
• Pesticides
• Persecution on wintering grounds
Protection
• Provincially protected under the Endangered Species Act, 2007
• Federally protected under the Migratory Birds Convention Act, 1994
Fact
Over the last 10 years, the bobolink’s population in Ontario decreased by 33 percent.
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