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Red-Winged Blackbird - (Agelaius
phoenicius)
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March
15, 2009 - The red-winged blackbird males
arrived with the grackles. At that time, there
was little to no red on the wings (just a thin
yellow band). The gang looked like just a bunch
of good ole boys. First comes the staking out of
territory. With the arrival of the females much
dancing, posturing and showing of the red began
(and probably a few other activities behind the
bushes). These birds tend to exhibit the most
conspicuous sign of spring in our backyard.
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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. They danced and
postured and displayed very aggressive behavior
towards each other.
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The females appeared next.
The buff-reddish gold coloring on the throat,
blending with brown and white streaks on the
rest of the body made them look like an entirely
different species. Hooray for bird books!
She really is a very, pretty bird. The males
thought so too as the courting ritual began in
earnest.
We had no idea where the
couples nested until we experienced our first
exhibition of mobbing one morning as we filled
feeders. Off in the old growth of trees at
the back of our property and near the small
river down the slope, the red-winged
blackbirds were circling, swooping and
screaming. Our sharp-shinned hawk must
have taken too much interest in their breeding
area. It was heartening to see that while
birds can be aggressive with their own kind for
pecking order, they willingly band together for
the mutual protection of the young.
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Size:
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Length: 7-9.5 in
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Weight: 1.8 oz |
Wingspan: 13 in |
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ID:
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Male: Stocky body; slightly larger
than female; black overall; bright red
shoulder patch (epaulettes) edged in
yellow; fairly short tail; rounded
wings; moderately thick bill; feet
anisodactylous (three toes point forward
and one toe points backward)
Female and Juvenile: Dark brown
upperparts; heavily streaked brown and
buff underparts; eyebrow, lower cheek,
and throat are yellowish buff; male
juveniles may sometimes have reddish
tinge on throat, chin and wing coverts
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Habitat:
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Marshes, fields, meadows and
woodlands
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Diet:
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Insects, weed seeds and grain;
feeders for cracked corn and bird seed
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Family Behavior:
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Mating Habits: Colonial; males
polygynous (more than one mate); males
arrive early to claim territory with
song and display of red epaulettes; 2-3
broods per year
Local Breeding Period: Late May
Nests: Cup-shaped; built by female of
reeds, grass, moss and milkweed fibers,
placed on clumps of grass, weeds or
shrubs near water
Eggs: 4-6 grayish green with irregular
brown and gray markings; female and male
incubate 10-14 days
Nestlings: Born altricial (helpless,
naked, eyes closed) and stay in nest
11-14 days; fed by both parents
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Social Activities:
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Join mixed flock of blackbirds to
form enormous roosts; segregated by sex
and age
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Range:
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Year round in most of US; migrates
south from most of Canada and
northern-most US
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Vocalization:
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Song is a loud konk-la-ree; call is
check note; warning call is tseert or
teeew
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| Lifespan: |
At least 14 years |
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