Bobolink
Grassland birds are one of the fastest declining groups of birds in North America. The Bobolink (Dolichonyx oryzivorus) has been listed under the Orange Alert category by the Road to Recovery Initiative on their Tipping Point Species list. Tipping point species require immediate scientific action to understand their population declines and develop conservation strategies. Orange listed species, such as the Bobolink, have experienced large population loss (~60% since the 1970s) and continue to be in decline (~21% in the last decade). In Canada, the Bobolink is listed as a Species At Risk.
One key recovery step outlined by the Road to Recovery program is to assess population structure and identify population vulnerability. Knowledge of population structure enables the identification of genetically distinct breeding populations within a species, some of which that may also require focused conservation attention. This, in turn, can serve as the foundation for understanding local patterns of population vulnerability, including genetic health and population decline.
Despite the importance of these metrics to inform species recovery, more knowledge is needed regarding the population structure and genetic health of the Bobolink, especially in the Mountain West. Previous work has found that Bobolinks breeding in Oregon and British Columbia are genetically distinct from the much larger group spanning the Great Plains and New England, suggesting that other isolated populations of the Mountain West may exist and could be unique as well. With several partners, including Noah Perlut at the University of New England, we plan to fill in critical gaps in the Bobolink breeding range and create a genoscape for the species.
If you are interested in collecting or donating Bobolink samples from any location across its range, particularly during the breeding and wintering seasons, please contact Amanda Carpenter to learn more!