The Bobolink has been in steep decline for decades, which has led VCE to pursue full life-cycle research to better understand and conserve this charismatic songbird. From North American breeding grounds to South American wintering areas, VCE has tracked Bobolinks to study their post-fledging movements, the impact of threats such as toxic pesticides, locate critical migration stopovers, examine population structures, and assess how agriculture and climate change influence their survival and breeding success.
Picture of Bobolink nest taken by Kevin Tolan.
Conserving Bobolinks is uniquely complex, as Bobolinks spend twice as much time in South America than in their North America breeding grounds, and undergo an epic trans-hemispheric migration. In New England, our conservation options are limited, as habitat is primarily located on agricultural and other privately-owned land.
In response to these and other challenges, the US Fish and Wildlife Service designated Bobolink as a focal species and called for a conservation plan that would address the global threats to Bobolinks, as well as other grassland bird species
With input from North and South American partners, this Bobolink Conservation Plan considers the “full life-cycle” of Bobolinks: north, south, and in migration, and includes guidelines for carrying out cross-country coordinated conservation at multiple scales.
Want to dive deeper? Explore the Bobolink Conservation Plan here.
