Dickcissel

Media
Photo of a male dickcissel in breeding plumage, perched.
Scientific Name
Spiza americana
Family
Cardinalidae (cardinals, grosbeaks, buntings) in the order Passeriformes
Description

Dickcissel adult male upperparts are gray-brown with dark streaks; the shoulders are a rich chestnut. It has a yellow eyebrow and moustachial streak, and a gray cheek. The underparts are white, with a yellow breast and, in breeding plumage, a black “bib” on lower throat and upper breast.

Females have hints of yellow on the breast and eyebrow, and less obvious chestnut on shoulders.

The song is a harsh dick-dick-dickcissel. The call given in flight frequently is a buzzy, electric bzzzzt.

Similar species: Eastern and western meadowlarks, though similar in coloration and found in similar habitats, are larger, chunkier, with longer legs. They are members of the blackbird family, with longer, pointier bills; dickcissels are smaller and sparrow- or finch-like. The songs are different, too.

Dickcissels are sometimes also confused with house sparrows.

Size

Length: 6¼ inches (tip of bill to tip of tail).

Where To Find
Dickcissel Distribution Map

Statewide. Abundant in the Glaciated and Osage Plains and in the Mississippi Lowlands. In some years they are common in the larger fields in the Ozark region.

The dickcissel is native to prairies and other grasslands, but it has adapted to farmland, cereal grain fields, weedy fields, alfalfa fields, hay fields, and other agricultural habitats.

In some years this species may be very abundant in a certain field and absent the next year. Many pairs may nest in one area and yet none might occupy another, equivalent field.

A few individuals may linger late into the fall or appear at bird feeders.

Dickcissels forage near the ground for insects and seeds in weedy fields, grasslands, prairies, and cereal grain fields.

Common resident; casual winter resident.

In their breeding range in the Central United States, dickcissels are threatened by loss of habitat, as once-vast native grasslands have been mostly converted to row crops. Hayfields, which can provide breeding habitat, are often mowed before dickcissel young are able to leave the nest.

In their migration route and wintering range in Central and South America, flocks of dickcissels are often viewed as crop pests and have been killed by farmers. As dickcissel populations have declined and croplands expanded, the proportion of crops eaten by the birds has been reduced a great deal. But dickcissels are still targeted illegally.

Life Cycle

Cup nests are built of grass and weed stems and lined with finer materials, in grasses or sapling trees a little above the ground. A clutch comprises 3–6 eggs. Upon hatching, the young are helpless. Breeding range is most of the Central United States. In August and September, they begin to form large flocks and migrate south from Missouri. They are mostly gone by mid-October. They pass through Central America and on to northern South America for winter. They return here in late April and May.

Dickcissels are an iconic bird of the Great Plains and the tallgrass prairie. To speak their name is to sing their song. In classic books by Willa Cather, Ole Edvart Rölvaag, Hamlin Garland, Laura Ingalls Wilder, John Neihardt, Louis Erdrich, N. Scott Momaday, and John Madson, you can almost hear the dickcissel's song as you read their descriptions of America's sunny grassland landscapes.

During fall migration, dickcissels form flocks of thousands, and winter roosts can include millions. This species is known for its unpredictable patterns, being numerous in a place some years, and absent in others. The environmental impact of so many birds is offset by their irregular appearance.

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Where to See Species

This 40-acre native prairie remnant is owned by the Missouri Prairie Foundation and is jointly managed with the Conservation Department.
About Birds in Missouri

About 350 species of birds are likely to be seen in Missouri, though nearly 400 have been recorded within our borders. Most people know a bird when they see one — it has feathers, wings, and a bill. Birds are warm-blooded, and most species can fly. Many migrate hundreds or thousands of miles. Birds lay hard-shelled eggs (often in a nest), and the parents care for the young. Many communicate with songs and calls.

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