Learn More About One of Our Most

Recognized Birds: the Red-winged

Blackbird

Flashes of Red

• Male Red-winged Blackbirds are easily recognized by the red marks on their wings called “epaulets”

• These epaulets help in the defense of a male’s territory

Bird Identification

• Males can cover and hide their epaulets

• This usually occurs when a male is intruding on another territory

Bird Identification

• Intruding males often avoid territories where the resident male has enlarged epaulets

• Males with smaller, blackened epaulets are likely to lose their territories

Bird Identification

• Female Red-winged Blackbirds look nothing like their male counterparts

• Because of this, females are one of the most misidentified birds

Bird Identification

• Diets differ between males and females, with females consuming more weed seeds and less waste corn

• During breeding season, they eat mostly insects

• In the winter, they switch to mostly seeds and grains

Just the Facts

• Red-wing Blackbirds will increase their feeding rate to match the blackbirds around them, even if they are already well feed

• They learn which new foods to try by carefully watching what the other blackbirds are eating

Just the Facts

• Red-winged Blackbirds often use a feeding technique known as “gaping”

• They expose insects that are hiding under sticks and stones or in the bases of leaves by forcibly spreading open their bills

Just the Facts

• Some Canadian and northern U.S. Red-winged Blackbirds migrate south in fall

• Populations in the southern and western U.S. and those in Central America are non-migratory

Populations and Migrations

• With the exception of some Canadian populations which begin migrating in August and September, most migrating Red-winged Blackbirds wait until October to head south

Populations and Migrations

• Spring migration normally occurs from mid-February through mid-May

• Male Red-winged Blackbirds return north in the spring ahead of the females and migrate south in the fall after the females

Populations and Migrations

• Red-winged Blackbirds can form huge roosts during the winter with up to a million birds staying in one area at night

• During the daytime, they will disperse up to 50 miles away in search of food

Populations and Migrations

• Large flocks of Red-winged and other blackbirds can cause wide-scale damage to corn by opening husks and eating kernels, to rice by pulling up new sprouts or removing ripening grain, and to sunflowers by removing and eating seeds

Populations and Migrations

• Red-winged Blackbirds commonly share their winter roosts with other blackbird species such as Common Grackles, Brown-headed Cowbirds and European Starlings

Populations and Migrations

• Red-winged Blackbirds are one of the most polygamous of all bird species

• They have been observed to have as many as 15 females nesting in the territory of a single male.

Breeding and Nesting

• On average, a single male has roughly five females in its territory

• Red-winged Blackbirds fiercely defend their territories during the breeding season

Breeding and Nesting

• They do not hesitate to attack much larger animals, including people

• Over a quarter of the male’s time is spent defending his territory from other males and predators

Breeding and Nesting

• Time spent on territory increases from less than one hour when territories are first established to about 75% of daylight hours during nesting period

• During non-breeding seasons, it spends most of its time foraging, preening and resting

Breeding and Nesting

• Female Red-winged Blackbirds build their nest in four stages in three to six days

Nesting

• (1) Initially they weave together several supporting pieces of vegetation and (2) then intertwine the walls of the nest onto these supports

• (3) The nest cup is then lined with mud, and (4) the final step is to line the nest with a layer of fine grasses

Nesting

• Female Red-winged Blackbirds normally lay 3 – 4 eggs

• Females incubate the eggs for 10 – 12 days

• The young will leave 11 – 14 days after hatching, and both sexes tend to the young

More About Nesting

• In 8 studies, a mean of 41% of eggs and young were lost to predators like include raccoon, mink, Black-billed Magpie and Marsh Wren

• Second broods can be raised if time permits, but second broods are rare

More About Nesting

• Males hold their territory, on average, 2.6 years - the record is 11 years

• The most observed female lifetime reproductive success is 24 fledglings

Other Facts & Life Expectancy

• With multiple mates in its territory, one male produced 176 fledglings over its lifetime

Other Facts & Life Expectancy

• The oldest, wild male lived to be at least 15 years, 9 months old

• Male or female, the average life expectancy of a Red-winged Blackbird is just over 2 years

Other Facts & Life Expectancy

For more information about Red-winged Blackbirds, visit our online field guide:

www.rightbird.com

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