CC BY-SA 3.0 · Walter Siegmund (talk) · source
Quick Facts
- Type
- Bird
- Size
- 17–23 cm body length
- Weight
- 32–77 g
- Habitat
- Marshes, wetlands, and grasslands
- Diet
- Omnivore — seeds, insects, and grain
- Active Time
- Diurnal, active during the day
- Lifespan
- 2–15 years in the wild
Field Notes
- Male red-winged blackbirds may mate with up to 15 females in a single season, actively defending their cattail-marsh territories against all rivals.
- Winter flocks of red-winged blackbirds have been recorded at over 5 million birds, making them one of the most spectacular bird aggregations in North America.
About the Red-winged Blackbird
The red-winged blackbird is one of the most abundant birds in North America, with an estimated population of 150 million. Males are jet-black with vivid red and yellow shoulder epaulettes that can be concealed or revealed at will, and they spend much of spring perched atop marsh cattails singing their distinctive conk-la-ree call. A single male may defend a territory with up to 15 females nesting within it. In winter, red-winged blackbirds gather in enormous mixed-species flocks of millions of birds. Females are streaked brown and easily overlooked.
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