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

And the bobolink, known for its robust songs and long-distance travels to South America.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 25, 2023

Combined waterfowl populations have increased by 37 million in the Prairie Pothole Region since 1990, even as forest birds like the Kentucky warbler and grassland birds like the bobolink have been in prolonged decline.

From Slate • May 10, 2018

Other new breeding species include the eastern meadowlark, known for its sharp call; the blue grosbeak, a striking blue relative of the cardinal; and the bobolink, a bumblebee-colored blackbird that migrates 12,500 miles annually.

From New York Times • Jun. 9, 2016

Others on his growing worry list include the bobolink, the upland sandpiper and the loggerhead shrike.

From Time Magazine Archive

You are walking forth in the soft morning air, when suddenly there comes a burst of bobolink melody from some mysterious source.

From Wake-Robin by Burroughs, John