Tri-coloured or Red-winged Blackbird?, Dayton, Ohio, USA (1 Viewer)

[AndyS56]

I think the title says it all. Seen in a hotel garden, June 2015. Is the patch under the red yellow or white?

TIA

Andy

 

[Andy Hurley]

From the Sibley, Tricolored is only West coast or near West coast. Also the the red lesser coverts are partially covered with black feathers. I'm not sure how important that is. Best to wait until the US crew get here, I think.

Edit: They also don't get a mention in the 2 editions of Eastern Sibley that I have.

 

[Larry Sweetland]

The shade of the red (more orangey) is better for RWBB, and the yellow area bordering the white is RWBB feature too

 

[Andy Hurley]

The shade of the red (more orangey) is better for RWBB, and the yellow area bordering the white is RWBB feature too

Best to wait until the US crew get here, I think.

Or Larry.......

 

[njlarsen]

One more thing to look for is shape of bill, longer and thinner in Tricolored. I agree this one is not.

Niels

 

[raymie]

Tricolored Blackbird has never been recorded in Ohio is not prone to vagrancy. This is a Red-winged Blackbird, albeit an especially lightly-colored one. You can see a hint of yellow here, which automatically rules out Tricolored anyway, but you can assume any Agelaius blackbird you see in Ohio (or any other eastern state) is Red-winged.

 

[AndyS56]

Thank you all for your help - much appreciated.

 

[KC Foggin]

I'm going with RWBB.