The song of the summer, across many summers, might be the Dickcissel. Perched on a compass plant or a conspicuous shrub, the Dickcissel belts out (and it’s always belting) its song for all to hear. On repeat throughout the day, often from the same spot. It’s a top 40 hit for sure, and this pop hit always delivers.
Dickcissels nest in medium to dense grassland habitat, usually occupying one or two acres of territory. Arriving especially late from their breeding grounds in Central and South America, Dickcissels have set up shop at Faville Grove within the past few weeks. Truly polygynous birds, the loud and chattery males can attract up to six mates, while those pairs often break up by the next nesting season.
The abundance of Dickcissels over the past five years.
On a continental scale, Wisconsin is at the edge of the Dickcissel’s range, though it seems they’ve become increasingly common in the state. Some stragglers often make it up into the northwestern parts of the state each year, especially along the hayfields of Highway 2 on the way from Ashland to Duluth. Typically, Dickcissels arrive en masse to Wisconsin every four or five years, known as an irruption. This irruption often coincides with drought in the core of their range in Kansas, Nebraska, and Missouri. 2023 looks to be one of the more abundant recent years for Dickcissels, and the trend has been increasing since 2019, as you can see in the graph to the right. Last week had the highest abundance of Dickcissels in the last five years.
On grasslands where it has recently arrived, its antics are akin to Iggy Pop—collared, bare chested, and boisterous; if a Dickcissel could crowd surf, I’m sure it’d be the first bird to do so. You can find the birds in most open areas at Faville Grove. If you’re walking through the prairie, look out for their nests with pretty blue eggs. And look out for the potential brood parasite Brown-headed Cowbirds inside the nest, which could be a sign that there’s too much fencerow or tree cover in the nearby area.
Written by Drew Harry, Faville Grove Sanctuary land steward
Cover photo by Arlene Koziol. A male Dickcissel with a gray and yellow face, black v-neck collar, yellow chest, and rufous wings bursts into song.
