- Agelaius phoeniceus
Description
Small blackbird with jet-black body and bright red shoulder patches (epaulets) edged with yellow on bottom. Female and juvenile are heavily streaked brown overall, sometimes mistaken for a large sparrow. Note "blackbird" bill and strong streaking along body.
Identification
Easily confused with the Tricolored Blackbird.
Voice
Song is composed of a series of introductory notes konk-la-ree or gurr-ga-leee followed by a terminal buzz or trill. Calls are short and relatively simple - low clack, sharp nasal deekk, and metallic tink.
Distribution
Breeds from Alaska east across Canada to Newfoundland and south to northern Baja California, central Mexico, the Gulf coast, and Florida. Spends winters regularly across the U.S. north to British Columbia, Great Lakes, and Pennsylvania.
The Red-winged Blackbird,is a passerine bird of the family Icteridae found in most of North and much of Central America. It breeds from Alaska and Newfoundland south to Florida, the Gulf of Mexico, Mexico and Guatemala, with isolated populations in western El Salvador, northwestern Honduras and northwestern Costa Rica. It may winter as far north as Pennsylvania and British Columbia, but northern populations are generally migratory, moving south to Mexico and the southern United States.
Habitat
Preferred habitats include fresh and saltwater marshes, rice paddies, sedge meadows, alfalfa fields, and other croplands.
Behavior
Although primarily a marsh bird, the Red-winged Blackbird will nest near virtually any body of water and occasionally breeds in upland pastures. Each pair raises two or three broods a season, building new nest for each clutch. Each pair raises two or three broods a season, building a new nest for each clutch. After the breeding season, the birds gather with other blackbirds in flocks, sometimes numbering in the hundreds of thousands. Although blackbirds are often considered pests because they consume grain in cultivated fields, farmers benefit because the birds consume harmful insects during the nesting season.
Taxonomy
The Red-shouldered Blackbird from Cuba was formerly considered a subspecies of the Red-winged Blackbird.
Interesting Facts
• Each pair of Red-winged Blackbirds raise 2-3 broods per season. Each time they build a new nest, which keeps the nest from becoming infected with parasites that could kill the baby birds
• During migration the Red-winged Blackbird can travel at over 30 mph.
• The Red-winged Blackbird is native to North America. English Settlers in the year 1600 mentioned seeing this bird.
