The Bobolinks came to us late this year, but the important point is that they came again. Their species has been decreasing drastically, apparently due in significant part to the disappearance of suitable unmowed fields for nest-building. Shown here is the male, with his strange yellow hoody; no other bird – including his mate – looks like him.
Below, we see the sparrow-like female.
The species received its name from the sound of its bubbling song. In 1855, William Cullen Bryant wrote a popular children’s poem that formalized the bird’s name to help youngsters remember its song: “Robert of Lincoln, is telling his name / Bob-o’-link, bob-o’-link / Spink, spank, spink….” (Brooklin, Maine)