The Superpowers of the Humble Bobolink

BirdNote®
The Superpowers of the Humble Bobolink
Written by Conor Gearin

This is BirdNote.

    [Bobolink song]

If you had to pick the bird most like a superhero, the Bobolink might not be an obvious choice. But these quirky blackbirds have abilities that would impress Superman himself.

    [Bobolink song]

Every year, Bobolinks fly from their wintering grounds in southern South America all the way to grasslands in North America. Completing the 12,000 mile round trip in the fall, some Bobolinks travel a distance equal to a few laps around the planet over the course of their lives.

Flying that far requires a rock-solid navigation system. Bobolinks carry one in their nose. Iron oxide in their nasal passages lets them sense the earth’s magnetic fields and orient themselves to compass directions.

Despite their incredible abilities, Bobolinks are pretty modest in their habitat needs. They’re happy to nest in a grassland or just an overgrown farm field.

Even so, Bobolinks have lost many of their habitats. Maintaining prairies and harvesting hayfields outside of their nesting season can help Bobolinks and other grassland birds find places to raise their little ones. Each tiny Bobolink chick could be destined for multiple trips around the globe — no cape needed.

    [Many Bobolinks singing and calling]

For BirdNote, I’m Michael Stein.

###

Producer: Mark Bramhill
Managing Editor: Jazzi Johnson
Managing Producer: Conor Gearin
Content Director: Jonese Franklin
Bird sounds provided by The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. Bobolink ML219737 recorded by Bob McGuire, and Bobolink ML234667911 recorded by Glenn Seeholzer. 
BirdNote’s theme was composed and played by Nancy Rumbel and John Kessler.
© 2024 BirdNote June 2024
Narrator: Michael Stein

ID# BOBO-03-2024-06-20        BOBO-03