Red-winged Blackbird

29 Comments by David USA

If you are reading this in the United States of America, you might be wondering what is so special about the common or garden Red-winged blackbird. This is one of the most numerous birds in the country, with a population estimate of around 190 million across the North American continent. Widespread, the Red-winged blackbird can be found breeding in every state in the United States of America, except for Hawaii.

I may have lived in the USA for three years, but I still feel delight every time I see this boring old bird flit by. My first encounter with the Red-winged blackbird was a lone male along the banks of the Chicago River. It was clearly a magnificent little bird, but it wasn’t until I made a trip to Cape May, New Jersey that I really fell in love with these feisty little show-offs. I parked the car at Cape May lighthouse, and walked the path that snakes between the lake and sand dunes, that role down to the Atlantic Ocean. I followed the track on to a meandering boardwalk that snakes through vast reed beds. For most birders, the Cape May star attractions are the migrating hawks, high up in the sky, or the water fowl, drifting on the surface of lake, or ocean. I was enthralled by the show that occurs in the middle band at the top of the reed line, where Red-winged blackbirds stake their claim to territory, with dance and songs.

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A male Red-winged blackbird shows off his finery

For the male Red-winged blackbird territory is everything, for it is in this claimed patch of reeds that he establishes his hareem. He makes, and maintains his claim to an area by perching on the highest, most visible twig or reed, where he blasts out his song. This song is accompanied by a flamboyant dance, choreographed to illuminate the stage with his fiery epaulettes. He will aggressively defend this territory from all comers, be that love rivals, other bird species or even people.

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Red-winged blackbird taking the high ground
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On the high perch

A strong male with a high quality territory can enjoy a hareem of up to 15 females. Each female will weave a grassy nest low to the ground, where she will lay up to 4 eggs. Simple math tells us that our male may sire 120 young for the first brood, and by the end of the summer, up to 240 young. But all is not as it seems. While enjoying the hospitality of the hareem, the female, like her father, is not inclined to remain faithful, often seeking the company of the guy next door. It is estimated that up to half of the young that fledge from a hareem have been fathered by a male that is not the governor of the territory. This is despite the fact that the male makes regular fly-bys over his land, flashing his epaulettes, in full song, to ensure that there can be no mistaking who owns the patch.

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Red-winged blackbird takes a low flight over the reed beds
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Red-winged blackbird in full song in flight

The first time I spotted a female of the species I snapped a photograph, and dived into my bird field guides in search of this new species that I had discovered. Was it a sparrow? Maybe a bunting? The female is so different from the male that a novice blackbirder could not hope to make a positive identification. She may be sparrow brown with stripes and flecks, but she is also a beautiful, robust, and feisty lady.

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Female Red-winged blackbird
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Female Red-winged blackbird searching for insect amongst Reed Mace seeds

As we might expect, the conservation status of the Red-winged blackbird is listed as Least Concern, but as is so often the case, this status does not tell the complete story. Since 1966 the species has seen a decline in population size by over 30%. It is unclear what it is driving this decline, but I’m certain that the continued loss of wetland habitat, our determination to kill off all insects, and climate uncertainty are playing a role.

In America, over a third of all species recorded on the US Endangered Species list live in wetlands, with half of the same list spending a portion of their life tied to wetlands. The continued loss of this vital habitat will see further decline of the Red-winged blackbird, as well as countless other creatures of land, air and sea.

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Red-winged blackbird

It was not until I got home and looked through my photographs that I noticed that some of the birds I photographed have rings on their legs. It makes me happy to know that someone if looking out for the future of these beautiful, engaging little birds. If you get a chance, sit and watch a colony of Red-winged blackbirds going about their business on a spring morning. You will never look at them in the same way again.

 

If you find a banded (wearing a ring) bird, be it a Red-winged blackbird or any other North American species, be sure to report it to the Bird Banding Laboratory

 

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David

I am a wildlife blogger and traveler, using images & stories to inspire wild connections.

29 Comments

  3. Roberta Reply

    This little soldier was one of the first birds I learned to identify. His flashy epaulettes and big personality make him easy to identify. I love them too. I used to look for them on the drive between New Jersey & New York. The meadowlands between was used as a garbage dump for decades, the water was further poisoned with DDT runoff. It was a dead zone. Then things began to change. Thanks to folks like Rachael Carson, people started to become more ecologically aware. DDT was outlawed. The dumping slowed. It took decades but the birds began to come back, the first was feisty Red-Winged Blackbird!

    Liked by 1 person

    • David Reply

      Hi Roberta! Thanks for the fabulous comment, that really adds a little something to my article. Hopefully it will encourage people to read about the work of Rachael Carson, and learn about the movement that she started. I have heard much about the Meadowlands (usually in the same breath as the Sopranos) but it is great to hear how it has come back to life for the local wildlife.

      Like

  7. larastillo Reply

    I love the up-close, clear pictures! And would never have guessed the female has such markings – very pretty, actually! Wonderful to learn about and appreciate the things we often see, but take for granted as “common.” So much beauty to be discovered when you give time, attention, and appreciation to any given thing in life. Thank you, David!

    Liked by 1 person

    • David Reply

      Thanks Susie! I started by posting once a week, but am currently in a once a month cycle. The reason for this being that I am in a moment in life where I can’t get out on quite so many adventures to wild places. I hope to get back to weekly, or at least fortnightly at some stage.

      Liked by 1 person

  9. samba2017 Reply

    I love the Red-winged blackbird photos! They certainly don’t appear in my Motherland (England) and haven’t seen them where I live in Switzerland either. Thanks for sharing! I have a poetry blog here on WordPress and today’s poem features a blackbird in case you have time to look? Have a relaxing weekend, Sam 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

  10. Mary Tang Reply

    Thank you for sharing your passion; I’m glad you didn’t stick to your regular job alone.:) As a point and shoot iPhone photographer I have no hope of capturing those birds, let alone in such fine detail. Your images are excellent but I also enjoy the stories of your encounters and information about the birds. I will follow you.

    Liked by 1 person

    • David Reply

      Thank you for your kind words, Mary. Welcome to my blog! I’ll look st yours in a little more detail later. Looks good! I’ve recently bought a couple of clip-on Moment lenses (macro and wide) for my IPhone. They are hand to have in your pocket for flowers, food or scenery and add a little something extra to point and shoot. I do that, too! ☺️

      Liked by 1 person

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