- Agelaius tricolor
Identification
L. 7-9 1/2" (18-24 cm)
Male: Black with bright red shoulder patches (epaulettes), bordered by white below
Female & Immature: Heavily streaked with dusky brown
Similar Species
Red-winged Blackbird which has yellow below the red shoulder patch.
Distribution
Southern Oregon south to Baja California. Apparently overshoots occasionally to Washington.
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species[1].
Habitat
Marshes, swamps, and wet and dry meadows; pastures as long as there is any kind of water nearby.
Behaviour
After the breeding season, the birds gather with other blackbirds in flocks, sometimes numbering in the hundreds of thousands. At this time, the blackbirds are often considered pests because they consume grain in cultivated fields; however, farmers benefit because the birds consume harmful insects during the nesting season.
Breeding
Nesting: 3-5 pale blue eggs, spotted and scrawled with dark brown and purple, in a well-made cup of marsh grass or reeds, attached to growing marsh vegetation or built in a bush in a marsh. Each pair raises two or three broods a season, building a new nest for each clutch.
Vocalisation
A rich, musical o-ka-leeee!
References
- Clements, JF. 2008. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2008. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Tricolored Blackbird. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 5 February 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Tricolored_Blackbird
