The Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) is an effective national monitoring tool for the Bobolink, with good coverage of more than 80% of the breeding population in Canada. The Bobolink population has shown a steady decrease in Canada, with approximately 77% loss of abundance since the early 1970s. This pattern is evident in most Bird Conservation Regions (BCRs), with the exception of the Prairie Potholes and the Northern Rockies BCRs where, despite annual fluctuations, the population has remained more or less stable over time (all BCRs for which there are reliable BBS trends are displayed below). BBS results for North America indicate that the continental population of Bobolinks has also experienced a large decrease since about 1970. The long-term population goal is based on the BBS; the Bobolink population is considered to be below acceptable levels of that goal (see Canada graph below). Once the Recovery Strategy is developed under the Species at Risk Act, this goal will be re-examined.
Additional information on: Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) - Canadian analysis
