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Male red-winged blackbird
Female red-winged blackbird
Length: 6.7-9.1 inches
Weight: 1.1-2.7 ounces
Wingspan: 12.2-15.8 inches
Body shape: stocky, broad-shouldered with a slender, conical bill and a medium-length tail
Wing shape: Broad, Rounded
Tail shape: Rounded, Square-tipped
Males
Color: glossy black with red-and-yellow shoulder patches
Females
Color: streaked, dark brownish overall, paler on the breast and often show a whitish eyebrow
The song is a familiar, gurgling “konk-la-reee”. They also give a more intense alarm call; a fast, scolding "chak chak chak".
Look and listen for them along the Fanno Creek Trail!
Habitat
Habitat
Usually near the edges of water (marshes, swamps, creeks, waterways, etc.)
Nest
Nest
Usually located close to the ground in thick brush and near water. Nest are woven of grasses, reeds, and leaves and lined with soft materials.
Eggs
Eggs
Eggs: 3-5
Color: pale blue-green with darker markings
Red-winged Blackbirds can also sometimes be seen feeding at the bases of aquatic plants by probing them with their bills. Doing this pulls the vegetation open so they can get to the insects inside.
Red-winged Blackbirds roost in flocks in all months of the year. In summer small numbers roost in the wetlands where the birds breed. Winter flocks can be congregations of several million birds, including other blackbird species and starlings. Each morning the roosts spread out, traveling as far as 50 miles to feed, then re-forming at night.
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