An Amazing Journey of a Tiny Song Bird
When
a diminutive sized song bird after nesting in the Prairies and cultivated
lands of Canada and Northern parts of united states begins its journey to
migrate to the grasslands and marshes in Argentina before the onset of winter
every year it has to travel an extraordinary distance of 5000 miles and
return to the Northern America again in spring and summer covering a total of awe-inspiring
distance of 10000 miles ie (16000 kms) every year after year till its survival.
The vast journey for survival is more remarkable in relation to the bobolink’s miniature
size, averaging 7 inches in length, 11.5 inches in wingspan, and 1.5 ounces in
weight. It is easily one of the world’s most inspiring migrant song bird.
A
migrating Bobolink can orient itself with the earth’s magnetic field, thanks to
iron oxide in bristles of its nasal cavity and in tissues around the olfactory
bulb and nerve. They also use the starry night sky to guide their travels.
Normally
a daylight forager, the Bobolink sometimes feeds after dark on bright nights
during migration, to build fat reserves for its long flight over the Gulf of
Mexico.
Bobolink (male) seen in its natural grass land habitat in Madison county
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Bobolink (female) seen in its natural grass land habitat in Massachusetts county
Bobolink
moults twice a year, completely changing all their feathers on both the
breeding and wintering grounds. When the male grows new feathers on the
wintering grounds they all have yellowish tips, so he still looks like a non breeding bird. Eventually the pale tips wear off to reveal his striking
black-and-white breeding colors.
Males are distinctive in their breeding plumage with a black and white rump
and black and yellow nape, though their yellowish brown winter plumage is
similar to the females'. In summer, bobolinks feed primarily on insects,
switching to grain crops as they migrate south. The female builds the nest
on the ground, in which she lays 5 to 6 eggs that incubate for about 13 days.
Bobolinks
are related to blackbirds, which are often polygamous, meaning that males may
have several mates per breeding season. Bobolinks are polygamous, too—but
they’re also often polyandrous: each clutch of eggs laid by a single female may
have multiple fathers.
Male and Female Bobolink during their spring / summer breeding in Massachusetts
Bobolink
numbers have been in decline since the middle of the 20th century, averaging a
3.8 percent decrease from 1980-1996. In North America, the loss of birds
is mainly attributed to changes in land use, but it is suspected that winter
survival is the main source of decline.
The
bird is protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act in the US and Canada and is
listed as a Species of Several Concern in several states. The Conservancy
protects breeding areas and migration paths for the species.
Throughout
its life span, it may have traveled the equivalent of 3 or 4 times around the
circumference of the earth.
The
oldest Bobolink on record was a female known to be at least 9 years old.
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