Red-winged Blackbird

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. The Red-winged Blackbird is sexually dimorphic; the male is all black with a red shoulder and yellow wing bar, while the female is a nondescript dark brown. Seeds and insects make up the bulk of the Red-winged Blackbird's diet.

The Red-winged Blackbird is classified as Least Concern. Does not qualify for a more at risk category. Widespread and abundant taxa are included in this category.

The Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) 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. More

most boldly colored, the Red-winged Blackbird is a familiar sight atop cattails, along soggy roadsides, and on telephone wires. Glossy-black males have scarlet-and-yellow shoulder patches they can puff up or hide depending on how confident they feel. Females are a subdued, streaky brown, almost like a large, dark sparrow. In the North, their early arrival and tumbling song are happy indications of the return of spring. More

Dictionary: red-winged blackbird (rĕd'wĭngd') pronunciation Home > Library > Literature & Language > Dictionary n. A North American blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus), the male of which has scarlet patches on the wings. Also called redwing. Home of Wiki & Reference Answers, the world’s leading Q&A siteReference AnswersEnglish▼English▼ Deutsch Español Français Italiano Tagalog * * Search unanswered questions... More

The Red-winged Blackbird is a beautiful songbird and easy to identify. Its red epaulets are easy to spot even when in flight. They are a fairly common bird and can be seen perched on telephone wires and sign posts throughout the United States and Canada. The Red-winged Blackbird Description - The Red-winged Blackbird is a medium sized bird measuring 9 to 10 inches in length. More

The Red-winged Blackbird is found throughout North and Central America. Breeding habitats spread from Alaska, Newfoundland and Florida, the Gulf of Mexico, Mexico and Guatemala. Some populations may also be found in El Salvador, Honduras and Costa Rica. Winters may be spent in Pennsylvania and British Columbia, but northern populations usually migrate south to Mexico and the southern United States. This species typically feed on seeds and insects. These birds also nest in small colonies and migrate in single-sex flocks. More

The Red-winged Blackbird is arguably one of the most well known and widely distributed birds in North America. Population estimates are that nearly 200 million individuals occur in a range extending from SE Alaska and Canada across the lower 48 states and well into Central America. It is abundant year round in most of its range, but northern populations withdraw to the south by November. More

Red-winged Blackbirds are one of our most recognizable birds; at least the males are. Both males and females grow to almost 10 inches, but males are black with bright red shoulder patches. Small yellow stripes border the red. Females are very plain brown with streaks. Red-winged Blackbirds are most common in marshes and swamps, but you will also see them in fields and meadows. More

The Red-winged Blackbird is sexually dimorphic; the male is all black with a red shoulder and yellow wing bar, while the female is a nondescript dark brown. Seeds and insects make up the bulk of the Red-winged Blackbird's diet. Red-winged Blackbird Distribution MapDistribution / Range The range of the Red-winged Blackbird stretches from southern Alaska to the Yucatan peninsula in the south, and from the western coast of California and Canada to the east coast of the continent. More

range, the name for the Red-winged Blackbird is Memiskoniinisi (containing the word 'red'), which does not refer to its blackness however. In another dialect it is referred to as Memiskonigwiigaans (containing the words 'red' and 'wing') Other dialects refer to its blackness, calling it Memiskondinimaanganeshiinh (which includes 'red' and 'bird'). More

25 years since Red-winged Blackbirds began nesting in the tops of our trees, which grow more than half way up the hillside from a brook frequented by others of their species. Since 1907, when four females built nests at heights of 18 to 22 feet from the ground in separate plum trees, there has been great increase in growth of wild currant, wild gooseberry and elderberry bushes in our house yard of about an acre in extent. More

About 75% of the annual Red-winged Blackbird diet is seeds. During the breeding season, they also eat insects, especially dragonflies, mayflies, and caddis flies as they emerge from their aquatic larval stage. In winter, grain is an important source of food, and many birds feed on corn stubble and at feedlots. back to top Nesting - Red-winged Blackbirds can breed colonially, but that may be more as a result of patchy breeding habitats than true colonialism. More

The Red-winged blackbird is one of the most abundant birds in North America. It can be found in wetlands and agricultural areas across the continent. In many northern locations, it is replacing the American robin as the harbinger of Spring. The bird's gurgling song "oak-a-lee" is a common sound in swamps and even backyard gardens and feeders. More

The Red-winged Blackbird, Agelaius phoeniceus, is known to many North Americans because it breeds all over the continent except in the far north and is one of the most common birds. It’s the male of the species that we know: the female is much less striking. Identifying the Red-winged Blackbird The male Red-winged Blackbird is unmistakable. It's glossy black with bright red patches, or epaulettes, at the top of the wings. More

Red-winged Blackbird ID TipsIdentification tips for the Red-winged Blackbird Red-winged Blackbird SongListen to the Red-winged Blackbird (Sound file provided by and copyrighted to Naturesongs.com, 2003) Range Maps: (Click map to enlarge. More

The red-winged blackbird is full of surprises. Last summer I didn't pay a lot of attention to these birds and didn't notice the different look of the females and the juveniles. Although these birds do stay year-round in our area, we didn't see them all winter. When they first arrived in spring, they had very little red showing on their wings - just small bands of yellow. We novices thought that very odd. Then the fun began! Soon their red epaulettes appeared. More

Description: The Red-Winged Blackbird is found in wetlands and agricultural areas across North America. Its range extends from southern Alaska to the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico, reaching from the Pacific coast to the eastern seaboard. Northern populations migrate to the southern United States and Central America in late summer to early fall. The Red-Winged Blackbird is named for its distinctive red shoulder patches or epaulets, which are visible when the bird is flying or displaying. Red-Winged Blackbirds defend their territory aggressively. More

The Red-winged Blackbird is one of 11 species in the genus Agelaius and is included in the family Icteridae, which is made up of passerine birds found in North and South America. The Red-winged Blackbird was one of the many species originally described by Linnaeus in his 18th century work, Systema Naturae. The genus name of the Red-winged Blackbird, Agelaius, is Latin derived from the Ancient Greek, agelaios, meaning "belonging to a flock". More

Red-winged Blackbirds were plentiful and easily detected. This species was recorded in 98 percent of blocks (1,185), ranking it fifth among breeding species in block frequency. An amazing 68 percent of records were confirmed. Where Atlasers did not record this species, they were likely absent. In blocks where they were not confirmed to breed there were likely few birds, thus offering Atlasers few opportunities to find a nest. More

The Red-winged blackbird can be found across the entire continental United States. In summer they extend across Canada. Any place they can find food, and water, they will spend the winter. Many will migrate south to the southern United States, and Mexico. In winter Red-winged blackbirds gather in large flocks to eat grains with other blackbird species, and starlings. These huge flocks are incredible to see as they roll in waves across the sky. More

Red-winged Blackbirds are fierce defenders of their nests, harassing hawks, crows, and other large birds that pass over and escorting human intruders through their territories, hovering close and making angry calls. Territorial singing subsides in late July or early August as the young leave the nest. At this time, Red-winged Blackbirds start foraging in fields in large flocks separated by gender, although both sexes mix with other foraging blackbirds and starlings. More

Male red-winged blackbirds are black with distinctive red epaulets on their shoulders. Sometimes the red is concealed with only a yellow margin showing. Immature males also have red shoulder patches but can be sooty-brown and appear mottled. Red-winged blackbirds are medium-sized song birds with a length of approximately 17 to 23 centimetres and weigh 32 to 77 grams. Females are somewhat smaller than males. Females, very different in appearance from adult males, are brownish and have streaked breasts. More

If you see a Red-winged Blackbird in winter, you may not recognize it. It may visit your yard by itself but most likely it will be hidden in with a large flock of European Starlings. When looking for the Red-winged, do not expect to see the red wing patches as the birds rarely choose to show them in winter. I use the word "choose" because the red patches, called epaulettes, can be voluntarily concealed by the bird. More

* Red-winged Blackbird nestlings in a wetland near Terry * Red-winged Blackbird nest with 3 eggs in a reservoir near the Moorhead * Red-winged Blackbird * Red-winged Blackbirds, Pair of Females * Red-winged Blackbird * Red-winged Blackbird nest with 3 eggs in a reservoir near the Moorhead Global Rank: G5 State Rank: S5B Agency Status USFWS: none More

Red-Winged Blackbird Taxonomy/Description The Red-Winged Blackbird is a member of the blackbird family. The birds of the family Icteridae are dichromatic, meaning the male and the female look very different. The male Red-Winged Blackbird is all black and has red epaulets, which are often concealed and only the small yellow stripe shows. When defending their territory or to attract a female, the male fluffs the red epaulets and half-spreads his wings to show off the red to the full extent. More

Red-winged Blackbirds are somewhat more dispersed during the summer breeding season, but are much more gregarious during migration and in the winter, when flocks of mixed blackbird species may number in the many thousands. Habitat: Marshes, swamps, hayfields, and wet thickets. Often frequents feedlots. Diet: Mostly insects and seeds. Many insects in the summer, but the majority of the diet is seeds and waste grain. More

population, Red-winged Blackbirds have recently declined in Christmas Bird Counts. In certain areas, like the farmlands of Ohio and Ontario, significant reductions have been recorded over the past 30 years. An explanation of the Annual Population Indices graph displayed to the right can be found here. Conservation Issues & Efforts Breeding in almost every kind of wetland across North America, Red-winged Blackbirds are suffering from habitat loss due to changes in farming practices and increased urbanization. More