Editing Dickcissel

{{Short description|Species of bird}}
{{More citations needed|date=January 2011}}
{{Speciesbox
| name = Dickcissel
| image = 927 - DICKCISSEL (5-28-2018) rick evans prairie w m a, hemstead co, ar -01 (3) (42677954221).jpg
| image_caption = Male in breeding plumage
| image2 = 927 - DICKCISSEL (5-28-2018) rick evans prairie w m a, hemstead co, ar -01 (2) (42677954611).jpg
| image2_caption = Female
[[File:Spiza americana - Dickcissel - XC82764.ogg|thumb|Song]]
| status = LC
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| status_ref = <ref name="iucn status 12 November 2021">{{cite iucn |author=BirdLife International |date=2016 |title=''Spiza americana'' |volume=2016 |page=e.T22723796A94833705 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22723796A94833705.en |access-date=12 November 2021}}</ref>
| genus = Spiza
| parent_authority = [[Charles Lucien Bonaparte|Bonaparte]], 1824
| species = americana
| authority = ([[Johann Friedrich Gmelin|Gmelin]], 1789)
| synonyms =
''Emberiza townsendi''<br />
''Emberiza townsendii'' <small>(''[[lapsus]]'')</small><br />
''Spiza townsendi''<br />
''Spiza townsendii'' <small>(''[[lapsus]]'')</small><br />
(see [[#"Townsend's Dickcissel"|text]])
| range_map = Spiza americana map.svg
| range_map_caption =
{{leftlegend|#FF7F2A|Breeding}}
{{leftlegend|#FFB380|Breeding (scarce)}}
{{leftlegend|#FFDD55|Migration}}
{{leftlegend|#5F8DD3|Nonbreeding}}
{{leftlegend|#87CDDE|Nonbreeding (scarce)}}
}}

The '''dickcissel''' ('''''Spiza americana''''') is a small [[granivore|seed-eating]] [[bird migration|migratory]] [[bird]] in the [[family (biology)|family]] [[Cardinalidae]]. It breeds on the prairie grasslands of the [[Midwestern United States]] and winters in Central America, northern Colombia, and northern Venezuela. It is the [[monotypic|only member]] of the [[genus]] '''''Spiza''''', though some sources list another supposedly [[extinct]] species (see below).

==Taxonomy==
The dickcissel was [[species description|formally described]] in 1789 by German naturalist [[Johann Friedrich Gmelin]] under the [[binomial name]] ''Emberiza americana''.<ref name=gmelin>{{ cite book | last=Gmelin | first=Johann Friedrich | author-link=Johann Friedrich Gmelin| year=1789 | title=Systema naturae per regna tria naturae : secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis | edition=13th | volume=1, Part 2 | language=la | place=Lipsiae [Leipzig] | publisher=Georg. Emanuel. Beer | page=872 | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/25750250}}</ref> Gmelin based his account on the "black throated bunting" which the Welsh naturalist [[Thomas Pennant]] had described and illustrated in 1785 in his ''Arctic Zoology''.<ref>{{cite book | last=Pennant | first=Thomas | author-link=Thomas Pennant | year=1785 | title=Arctic Zoology | volume=2 | publisher=Printed by Henry Hughs | place=London | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/32122137 | page=363, Plate 17 }}</ref><ref>{{ cite book | editor-last=Paynter | editor-first=Raymond A. Jr | year=1970 | title=Check-List of Birds of the World | volume=13 | publisher=Museum of Comparative Zoology | place=Cambridge, Massachusetts | pages=217–216 | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/14483451 }}</ref> The dickcissel is now the only species placed in the genus ''Spiza'' that was introduced in 1824 by French naturalist [[Charles Lucien Bonaparte]].<ref>{{ cite journal | last=Bonaparte | first=Charles Lucien | author-link=Charles Lucien Bonaparte | year=1824 | journal=Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia | title=Observations on the nomenclature of Wilson's Ornithology | volume=4 | pages=25–66 [45] | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/24655159 }}</ref><ref name=ioc>{{cite web| editor1-last=Gill | editor1-first=Frank | editor1-link=Frank Gill (ornithologist) | editor2-last=Donsker | editor2-first=David | editor3-last=Rasmussen | editor3-first=Pamela | editor3-link=Pamela Rasmussen | year=2020 | title=Cardinals, grosbeaks and (tanager) allies | work=IOC World Bird List Version 10.2 | url=https://www.worldbirdnames.org/bow/cardinals/ | publisher=International Ornithologists' Union | access-date=29 September 2020 }}</ref> The genus name ''Spiza'' is the [[Ancient Greek]] word for a common type of finch, now assumed to be a [[chaffinch]].<ref>{{cite book | last=Jobling | first=James A. | year=2010| title=The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names | publisher=Christopher Helm | location=London | isbn=978-1-4081-2501-4 | page=362 }}</ref> The species is [[monotypic]]; no [[subspecies]] are recognised.<ref name=ioc/>

The dickcissel is part of a group of the Cardinalidae that also includes ''[[Amaurospiza]], [[Cyanocompsa]], [[Cyanoloxia]]'', and ''[[Passerina]]''. ''Spiza'' is the only one among these that lacks blue [[structural color]]s in its plumage. Though the color pattern and habits of the dickcissel make it stand apart from other Cardinalidae, its robust, cone-shaped bill – stouter than in [[American sparrow]]s or [[Fringillidae|true finches]], which it somewhat resembles at first glance – gives away its relationships.

==="Townsend's dickcissel"===
[[File:Spiza townsendi.jpg|upright|thumb|left|Lithograph of "Townsend's Bunting"]]
A problematic specimen is often discussed under the name of '''''Spiza townsendi''''' (or ''Spiza townsendii'', the original misspelt [[specific name (zoology)|specific name]] proposed by [[John James Audubon]]). This individual was collected on May 11, 1833, by Audubon's colleague [[John Kirk Townsend]] in [[New Garden Township, Pennsylvania|New Garden Township]], [[Chester County, Pennsylvania]].<ref>{{cite book | last=Audubon | first=John James | author-link=John James Audubon | year=1834 | chapter=Townsend's Bunting | title=Ornithological Biography, or an account of the habits of the birds of the United States of America | volume=2 | location=Edinburgh | publisher=Adam Black | pages=183–184 | chapter-url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/33239545 }}</ref><ref>{{ cite book | last=Audubon | first=John James | author-link=John James Audubon | year=1841 | chapter=Townsend's Bunting | title=The Birds of America, from drawings made in the United States and their territories | volume=3 | location=New York | publisher=J.B. Chevalier | page=62, Plate 157 | chapter-url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/40383836 }}</ref><ref>{{ cite book | last=Ridgway | first=Robert | year=1901 | author-link=Robert Ridgway | chapter=''Spiza townsendii'' (Audubon) | title=The Birds of North and Middle America | series=Bulletin of the United States National Museum. Volume 50, Part 1 | place=Washington | pages=174–175 | chapter-url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/7514987 }}</ref> The specimen remains unique and nothing is known about what it represents with certainty; it had thus even been suggested to be an [[extinct]] relative. In 2014, Kyle Blaney photographed the bird in Ontario, proving its continuing existence.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://blog.aba.org/2014/09/open-mic-the-townsends-bunting-story.html|title=Open Mic: The Townsend's Bunting Story |date=2014-09-18|work=ABA Blog |access-date=2017-06-25|language=en-US}}</ref>

It is commonly called "Townsend's dickcissel" (or "Townsend's bunting", "Townsend's finch"<ref>[http://avibase.bsc-eoc.org/species.jsp?lang=EN&avibaseid=E698E65AF4668388 ''Spiza townsendi'']. Avibase</ref>) in reference to the collector whom the scientific name honors. Rather than a distinct species or subspecies, it is (as certainly as this can be said in absence of direct proof) a color [[variant (zoology)|variant]]. Comparing the birds, it is immediately obvious that the yellow [[lipochrome]] [[pigment]]s are entirely absent in "Townsend's dickcissel". The specimen has [[foxing|foxed]] today, giving it an altogether beige hue, but when originally shot, the olive areas of the head were grey as the cheeks, and the yellow and buff on face and underside was pure white. The brown wings and tail were rufous, due to the [[pheomelanin]]s not being tinged by lipochromes.

Thus, this bird is very likely certainly the result of a simple genetic change, perhaps just a single [[point mutation]], affecting some part of the [[carotinoid]] [[metabolism]] – essentially the same thing that happens in [[albinism]], but in a different [[metabolic pathway]]. Though the bird seemed to be healthy and had survived to maturity when it found its untimely end through Townsend's gun, no other such specimens have been documented before, nor ever since. Albinism and other pigment aberrations are not infrequently seen in birds, and the lack of further specimens is somewhat puzzling in that respect.

No specific details are known about the dickcissel's lipochrome metabolism; it may be more fine-tuned than in other birds, so that most mutations therein will be lethal and Audubon's bird was simply one of the very few individuals that survived. In wild birds, varying from species to species, some color aberrations are less frequently seen than others, and in captive birds such as [[domestic canary|canaries]], some color mutations have only arisen a handful of times at most during several centuries of dedicated breeding and screening for novel color variants (see also [[Budgerigar colour genetics]]). While only a complete [[molecular biology|molecular biological]] study of the dickcissel's metabolism and the specimen's [[ancient DNA]] stands any reasonable chance to resolve the question with certainty, the hypothesis of an extremely uncommon color mutation is plausible, and such phenomena certainly occur in other [[Passeroidea]].

Alternatively, the bird was considered a [[hybrid (biology)|hybrid]], but the present state of knowledge of the dickcissel's relations makes this not very plausible; a number of species exist with which ''Spiza'' could conceivably produce hybrids, such as ''Passerina'', but the lack of even the slightest hint of blue structural colors in Townsend's specimen and it moreover being not different from a dickcissel in [[Morphology (biology)|habitus]] makes the hybrid theory suspect. Regardless, Townsend observed the bird making vocalizations reminiscent more of an [[indigo bunting]] (''Passerina cyanea''), and by comparing [[mtDNA|mitochondrial]] and [[nuclear DNA]] sequences of the specimen with those of the dickcissel, the indigo bunting, and perhaps other ''Passerina'', the hybridization hypothesis should be far more easy to prove or reject than a color aberration. On the other hand, not enough is known on whether dickcissels pick up their characteristic vocalizations from conspecific males or whether they are innate, thus no firm conclusion regarding Townsend's observations has been made.

==Description==
[[File:Dickcissel.jpg|thumb|right|Male in nonbreeding plumage - [[Maywood, Illinois]]]]
Their length is {{cvt|5.5|-|6.3|in}}, wingspan is {{cvt|9.8|-|10.2|in}}, and weight is{{cvt|0.9|-|1.4|oz}}.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Dickcissel Identification, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology|url=https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Dickcissel/id|access-date=2020-09-30|website=www.allaboutbirds.org|language=en}}</ref> Dickcissels have a large, pale [[beak|bill]], a yellow line over the eyes, brownish upperparts with black streaks on the back, dark wings, a rust patch on the shoulders, and light underparts. Adult males have a black throat patch, a yellow breast, and grey cheeks and crown. This head and breast pattern is especially brilliant in the breeding plumage, making it resemble an [[eastern meadowlark]]. Females and juveniles are brownish on the cheeks and crown, and are somewhat similar in appearance to [[house sparrow]]s; they have streaked flanks.

In flight, they make a low, "electric", buzzing ''fpppt''. From an open perch in a field, this bird's song is a sharp ''dick dick'' followed by a buzzed ''cissel'', also transcribed as ''skee-dlees chis chis chis'' or ''dick dick ciss ciss ciss''.<ref name=Sibley2000/>

==Distribution and habitat==
Their breeding [[habitat (ecology)|habitat]] is fields in [[midwest]]ern North America. Following the breeding season the species [[bird migration|migrates]] in large flocks to southern Mexico, Central America, and northern South America. They may occur as vagrants well outside of their normal range. From 1966 to 2015 the dickcissel experienced a greater than 1.5% population reduction in the northern part of its breeding range and throughout the [[Midwestern United States]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Dickcissel Spiza americana BBS Trend Map, 1966 - 2015 |url=https://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/bbs/tr2015/trend2015_v3.html |website=USGS |publisher=US Department of the Interior |access-date=2020-12-15}}</ref>

==Behaviour and ecology==
===Breeding===
The birds migrate to their breeding range rather late, with the first arriving only in May, with most birds only arriving in early June.<ref name=Henninger/><ref name=OOS/> They nest near the ground in dense grasses or small shrubs, or up to {{convert|3|–|4|ft|cm|abbr=on}} high in bushes and trees. Males may have up to six mates, with most attracting only one or two, and several failing to attract any mates at all. Yet if such "bachelors" survive until the next summer, they will get another try to attract females, as the partners only stay together for raising one brood. Dickcissels are thus among the few [[songbird]]s that are truly [[Polygyny in animals|polygynous]]. When they leave for winter quarters by early August or so,<ref name=OOS/> what little pair bond existed during the summer is broken up.

===Feeding===
Dickcissels forage on the ground or in fields. They mainly eat [[insect]]s and [[seed]]s. Outside of the nesting season, they usually feed in flocks. They are considered a pest by farmers in some regions because flocks can consume large quantities of cultivated [[cereal|grain]]s.

Dickcissel populations frequently fluctuate in numbers, even to the extent that their range changes notably. In the early 19th century, dickcissels expanded eastward, establishing a population in [[New England]] and the [[mid-Atlantic states]] that disappeared around the end of the century. Both appearance and disappearance were probably related to changes in land use.<ref name=Temple/>

==References==
{{Reflist|refs=
<ref name=Henninger>{{cite journal|author=Henninger, W.F. |year=1906|title= A preliminary list of the birds of Seneca County, Ohio |journal=[[Wilson Bulletin|Wilson Bull.]]|volume=18|issue=2|pages= 47–60|url=http://sora.unm.edu/sites/default/files/journals/wilson/v018n02/p0047-p0060.pdf}}</ref>
<ref name=OOS>Ohio Ornithological Society (2004): [http://www.ohiobirds.org/publications/OBRClist.pdf Annotated Ohio state checklist] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040718101517/http://www.ohiobirds.org/publications/OBRClist.pdf |date=July 18, 2004 }}.</ref>
<ref name=Sibley2000>[[David Allen Sibley|Sibley, David Allen]] (2000): ''[[The Sibley Guide to Birds]]''. Alfred A. Knopf, New York. {{ISBN|0-679-45122-6}}</ref>
<ref name=Temple>Temple, S.A. (2002): Dickcissel (''Spiza americana''). ''In:'' Poole, A. & Gill, F. (eds.): ''The Birds of North America'' '''703'''. [[Academy of Natural Sciences]], Philadelphia, PA & [[American Ornithologists' Union]], Washington, D.C.</ref>
}}

==Further reading==
* [[David Allen Sibley|Sibley, David Allen]] (2003): ''The Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Eastern North America''. Alfred A. Knopf, New York. {{ISBN|0-679-45120-X}}

==External links==
* [https://www.xeno-canto.org/species/Spiza-americana Xeno-canto: audio recordings of the dickcissel]
* [http://www.nature.org/animals/birds/animals/dickcissel.html The Nature Conservancy's Grassland Birds: Dickcissel] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100420093112/http://www.nature.org/animals/birds/animals/dickcissel.html |date=2010-04-20 }}
* [http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Dickcissel.html Dickcissel Species Account] – Cornell Lab of Ornithology
* [http://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/id/framlst/i6040id.html Dickcissel – ''Spiza americana''] – USGS Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter
* [http://vireo.acnatsci.org/search.html?Form=Search&SEARCHBY=Common&KEYWORDS=Dickcissel&showwhat=images&AGE=All&SEX=All&ACT=All&Search=Search&VIEW=All&ORIENTATION=All&RESULTS=24 Dickcissel photo gallery] VIREO

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==Further reading==
{{Commons|Spiza americana}}
===Book===

* Fretwell S. (1986). ''Distribution and abundance of the Dickcissel''. In ''Johnston, R F [Editor] Current Ornithology 211–242, 1986''. Plenum Press, 233 Spring Street, New York, New York. Plenum Press, London, England, UK.

===Articles===

* Applegate RD, Flock BE & Horak GJ. (2002). ''Spring burning and grassland area: Effects on Henslow's sparrow (Ammodramus henslowii (Audubon)) and Dickcissel (Spiza americana (Gmelin)) in Eastern Kansas, USA''. Natural Areas Journal. vol '''22''', no 2. pp.&nbsp;160–162.
* Avery ML, Tillman EA & Laukert CC. (2001). ''Evaluation of chemical repellents for reducing crop damage by Dickcissels in Venezuela''. International Journal of Pest Management. vol '''47''', no 4. pp.&nbsp;311–314.
* Bakker KK, Naugle DE & Higgins KF. (2002). ''Incorporating landscape attributes into models for migratory grassland bird conservation''. Conservation Biology. vol '''16''', no 6. pp.&nbsp;1638–1646.
* Basili GD & Temple SA. (1999). ''Dickcissels and crop damage in Venezuela: Defining the problem with ecological models''. Ecological Applications. vol '''9''', no 2. pp.&nbsp;732–739.
* Berkeley LI, McCarty JP & Wolfen-Barger LL. (2004). ''The importance of the post-fledging period to the conservation of Dickcissels (Spiza americana)''. Ecological Society of America Annual Meeting Abstracts. vol '''89''', no 43.
* Best LB, Campa H, III, Kemp KE, Robel RJ, Ryan MR, Savidge JA, Weeks HP Jr. & Winterstein SR. (1997). ''Bird abundance and nesting in CRP fields and cropland in the Midwest: A regional approach''. Wildlife Society Bulletin. vol '''25''', no 4. pp.&nbsp;864–877.
* Bloome C. (1989). ''First Record of Dickcissel Spiza-Americana New-Record in the Sudbury District Ontario Canada''. Ontario Birds. vol '''7''', no 1. pp.&nbsp;31–33.
* Bock CE, Bock JH & Bennett BC. (1995). ''The avifauna of remnant tallgrass prairie near Boulder, Colorado''. Prairie Naturalist. vol '''27''', no 3. pp.&nbsp;147–157.
* Bollinger EK & Maddox JD. (2000). ''A double-brooded dickcissel''. Prairie Naturalist. vol '''32''', no 4. pp.&nbsp;253–255.
* Brauning DW, Brittingham MC, Gross DA, Leberman RC, Master TL & Mulvihill RS. (1994). ''Pennsylvania breeding birds of special concern: A listing rational and status update''. Journal of the Pennsylvania Academy of Science. vol '''68''', no 1. pp.&nbsp;3–28.
* Brennan SP & Schnell GD. (2005). ''Relationship between bird abundances and landscape characteristics: The influence of scale''. Environ Monit Assess. vol '''105''', no 1-3. pp.&nbsp;209–228.
* Bryan GG & Best LB. (1991). ''Bird Abundance and Species Richness in Grassed Waterways in Iowa USA Rowcrop Fields''. American Midland Naturalist. vol '''126''', no 1. pp.&nbsp;90–102.
* Bryan GG & Best LB. (1994). ''Avian nest density and success in grassed waterways in Iowa rowcrop fields''. Wildlife Society Bulletin. vol '''22''', no 4. pp.&nbsp;583–592.
* Bye SL, Robel RJ & Kemp KE. (2001). ''Effects of human presence on vocalizations of grassland birds in Kansas''. Prairie Naturalist. vol '''33''', no 4. pp.&nbsp;249–256.
* Cosens SE & Falls JB. (1984). ''A Comparison of Sound Propagation and Song Frequency in Temperate Marsh and Grassland Habitats''. Behavioral Ecology & Sociobiology. vol '''15''', no 3. pp.&nbsp;161–170.
* Delisle JM & Savidge JA. (1997). ''Avian use and vegetation characteristics of conservation reserve program fields''. Journal of Wildlife Management. vol '''61''', no 2. pp.&nbsp;318–325.
* DeVault TL, Scott PE, Bajema RA & Lima SL. (2002). ''Breeding bird communities of reclaimed coal-mine grasslands in the American midwest''. Journal of Field Ornithology. vol '''73''', no 3. pp.&nbsp;268–275.
* Elliott PF. (1978). ''Cowbird Parasitism in the Kansas USA Tall Grass Prairie''. Auk. vol '''95''', no 1. pp.&nbsp;161–167.
* Elliott PF. (1980). ''Evolution of Promiscuity in the Brown-Headed Cowbird Molothrus-Ater''. Condor. vol '''82''', no 2. pp.&nbsp;138–141.
* Finck EJ. (1984). ''Male Dickcissel Behavior in Primary and Secondary Habitats Spiza-Americana''. Wilson Bulletin. vol '''96''', no 4. pp.&nbsp;672–680.
* Fletcher RJ Jr., Koford RR & Seaman DA. (2006). ''Critical demographic parameters for declining songbirds breeding in restored grasslands''. Journal of Wildlife Management. vol '''70''', no 1. pp.&nbsp;145–157.
* Fritcher SC, Rumble MA & Flake LD. (2004). ''Grassland bird densities in seral stages of mixed-grass prairie''. J Range Manage. vol '''57''', no 4. pp.&nbsp;351–357.
* Galligan EW, DeVault TL & Lima SL. (2006). ''Nesting success of grassland and savanna birds on reclaimed surface coal mines of the midwestern United States''. Wilson Journal of Ornithology. vol '''118''', no 4. pp.&nbsp;537–546.
* Harmeson JP. (1974). ''BREEDING ECOLOGY OF DICKCISSEL''. Auk. vol '''91''', no 2. pp.&nbsp;348–359.
* Hatch SA. (1983). ''Nestling Growth Relationships of Brown-Headed Cowbirds Molothrus-Ater and Dickcissels Spiza-Americana''. Wilson Bulletin. vol '''95''', no 4. pp.&nbsp;669–671.
* Hellack JJ. (1976). ''Phenetic Variation in the Avian Subfamily Cardinalinae''. Occasional Papers of the Museum of Natural History University of Kansas. vol '''57''', pp.&nbsp;1–22.
* Henningsen JC & Best LB. (2005). ''Grassland bird use of riparian filter strips in southeast Iowa''. Journal of Wildlife Management. vol '''69''', no 1. pp.&nbsp;198–210.
* Herkert JR. (1994). ''The effects of habitat fragmentation on midwestern grassland bird communities''. Ecological Applications. vol '''4''', no 3. pp.&nbsp;461–471.
* Herkert JR, Reinking DL, Wiedenfeld DA, Winter M, Zimmerman JL, Jensen WE, Finck EJ, Koford RR, Wolfe DH, Sherrod SK, Jenkins MA, Faaborg J & Robinson SK. (2003). ''Effects of prairie fragmentation on the nest success of breeding birds in the midcontinental United States''. Conservation Biology. vol '''17''', no 2. pp.&nbsp;587–594.
* Hughes JP, Robel RJ, Kemp KE & Zimmerman JL. (1999). ''Effects of habitat on dickcissel abundance and nest success in conservation reserve program fields in Kansas''. Journal of Wildlife Management. vol '''63''', no 2. pp.&nbsp;523–529.
* Hultquist JM & Best LB. (2001). ''Bird use of terraces in Iowa rowcrop fields''. American Midland Naturalist. vol '''145''', no 2. pp.&nbsp;275–287.
* Jensen WE & Cully JF Jr. (2005). ''Density-dependent habitat selection by brown-headed cowbirds (Molothrus ater) in tallgrass prairie''. [[Oecologia]]. vol '''142''', no 1. pp.&nbsp;136–149.
* Jensen WE & Cully JF Jr. (2005). ''Geographic variation in brown-headed cowbird (Molothrus ater) parasitism on Dickcissels (Spiza americana) in great plains tallgrass prairie''. Auk. vol '''122''', no 2. pp.&nbsp;648–660.
* Jensen WE & Finck EJ. (2004). ''Edge effects on nesting dickcissels (Spiza americana) in relation to edge type of remnant tallgrass prairie in Kansas''. American Midland Naturalist. vol '''151''', no 1. pp.&nbsp;192–199.
* Johnson DH & Igl LD. (1995). ''Contributions of the conservation reserve program to populations of breeding birds in North Dakota''. Wilson Bulletin. vol '''107''', no 4. pp.&nbsp;709–718.
* Kimberly MSW, Brian EW, Joshua JM, Mark RR & Michael WH. (2003). ''Effects of radio-transmitters on fecal glucocorticoid levels in captive Dickcissels''. The Condor. vol '''105''', no 4. p. 805.
* King JW & Savidge JA. (1995). ''Effects of the Conservation Reserve Program on wildlife in southeast Nebraska''. Wildlife Society Bulletin. vol '''23''', no 3. pp.&nbsp;377–385.
* Kobal SN, Payne NF & Ludwig DR. (1998). ''Nestling food habits of 7 grassland bird species and insect abundance in grassland habitats in northern Illinois''. Transactions of the Illinois State Academy of Science. vol '''91''', no 1-2. pp.&nbsp;69–75.
* Larkin RP, Evans WR & Diehl RH. (2002). ''Nocturnal flight calls of Dickcissels and Doppler radar echoes over south Texas in spring''. Journal of Field Ornithology. vol '''73''', no 1. pp.&nbsp;2–8.
* Laubach R. (1984). ''Breeding Birds of Sheeder Prairie Preserve West-Central Iowa USA''. Proceedings of the Iowa Academy of Science. vol '''91''', no 4. pp.&nbsp;152–163.
* Maddox JD & Bollinger EK. (2000). ''Male Dickcissels feed nestlings in east-central Illinois''. Wilson Bulletin. vol '''112''', no 1. pp.&nbsp;153–155.
* Manns R. (1990). ''Dickcissel pair in Georgia springtime''. Oriole. vol '''55''', no 2-3. pp.&nbsp;50–51.
* McCoy TD, Ryan MR, Burger LW & Kurzejeski EW. (2001). ''Grassland bird conservation: CP1 vs. CP2 plantings in Conservation Reserve Program fields in Missouri''. American Midland Naturalist. vol '''145''', no 1. pp.&nbsp;1–17.
* McCoy TD, Ryan MR, Kurzejeski EW & Burger LW Jr. (1999). ''Conservation Reserve Program: Source or sink habitat for grassland birds in Missouri?''. Journal of Wildlife Management. vol '''63''', no 2. pp.&nbsp;530–538.
* McNair DB. (1990). ''Review of Proven Probable and Possible Breeding Records of the Dickcissel in Georgia and the Carolinas''. Oriole. vol '''55''', no 1. pp.&nbsp;1–18.
* Miller JR. (1978). ''Notes on Birds of San-Salvador Island Watlings the Bahamas''. Auk. vol '''95''', no 2. pp.&nbsp;281–287.
* Patten MA, Shochat E, Reinking DL, Wolfe DH & Sherrod SK. (2006). ''Habitat edge, land management, and rates of brood parasitism in tallgrass prairie''. Ecological Applications. vol '''16''', no 2. pp.&nbsp;687–695.
* Patterson MP & Best LB. (1996). ''Bird abundance and nesting success in Iowa CRP fields: The importance of vegetation structure and composition''. American Midland Naturalist. vol '''135''', no 1. pp.&nbsp;153–167.
* Payne NF, Kobal SN & Ludwig DR. (1998). ''Perch use by 7 grassland bird species in northern Illinois''. Transactions of the Illinois State Academy of Science. vol '''91''', no 1-2. pp.&nbsp;77–83.
* Peer BD, Robinson SK & Herkert JR. (2000). ''Egg rejection by cowbird hosts in grasslands''. Auk. vol '''117''', no 4. pp.&nbsp;892–901.
* Powell A. (2006). ''Effects of prescribed burns and bison (Bos Bison) grazing on breeding bird abundances in tallgrass prairie''. Auk. vol '''123''', no 1. pp.&nbsp;183–197.
* Pranty B, Basili GD & Robinson HP. (2002). ''First breeding record of the Dickcissel in Florida''. Florida Field Naturalist. vol '''30''', no 2. pp.&nbsp;36–39.
* Reinking DL. (2005). ''Fire regimes and avian responses in the central tallgrass prairie''. Studies in Avian Biology. vol '''30''', pp.&nbsp;116–126.
* Rivers JW, Althoff DP, Gipson PS & Pontius JS. (2003). ''Evaluation of a reproductive index to estimate dickcissel reproductive success''. Journal of Wildlife Management. vol '''67''', no 1. pp.&nbsp;136–143.
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<!-- see the good RangeMap/maps, lists, etc. at: "www.natureserve.org"(then 'InfoNatura')... see for: "passage migrant" areas/(also vagrant) (the Caribbean, etc.)....the bird is also in the extreme southern Canadian Prairies Canada, just barely-->

{{Passeroidea|E.|state=collapsed}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q1210224}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dickcissel}}
[[Category:Cardinalidae]]
[[Category:Native birds of the Canadian Prairies]]
[[Category:Birds of North America]]
[[Category:Birds of the United States]]
[[Category:Native birds of the Plains-Midwest (United States)]]
[[Category:Birds described in 1789]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Johann Friedrich Gmelin]]