bobolink

American  

[bob-uh-lingk] / ˈbɒb əˌlɪŋk /

noun

1. a common North American songbird, Dolichonyx oryzivorus, that winters in South America.

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bobolink British  

/ ˈbɒbəˌlɪŋk /

noun

1. Also called (US): reedbird.   ricebird.  an American songbird, Dolichonyx oryzivorus , the male of which has a white back and black underparts in the breeding season: family Icteridae (American orioles)

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Etymology

Origin of bobolink

1765–75, short for Bob o' Lincoln, the bird's call as heard by speakers of English

Example Sentences

Others still have functionally random names, like the onomatopoeic Bobolink and Veery, or Osprey, which is derived from the Old French word ospreit, itself coming from a Latin word meaning “bird of prey.”

From Slate • Jan. 25, 2024

WRAL-TV reports that Halifax County deputies were called to Bobolink Trail in Hollister at about 11:30 p.m.

From Washington Times • Feb. 7, 2021

Meantime, the Bobolink foundation, Paulson’s $90 million family fund devoted to environmental causes, donated $3.7 million last year to environmental groups including The Nature Conservancy and the American Bird Conservancy.

From Salon • Sep. 12, 2013

Nina White, 52, an owner with her husband, Jonathan, of Bobolink Dairy & Bakehouse in Milford, sources her flour from older, organically grown plants.

From New York Times • Jan. 21, 2012

Sharp as Mr. Bobolink was, we knew all his tricks, and had outwitted him often.

From Harper's Young People, October 5, 1880 An Illustrated Weekly by Various