RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD (Agelaius phoeniceus) Go back to Blackbirds
Identification
The male, a little smaller than a robin, is black with red and yellow shoulder patches. The smaller female is brownish, resembling a large sparrow.
Range and Habitat
An abundant nester throughout much of North America, the red-winged blackbird nests in hayfields, marshes, and ditches. Large flocks feed in fields and bottomlands. Redwings winter in the southern United States.
Food Habits and General Biology
Insects are the dominant food during the nesting season (May through July), with the diet shifting predominantly to grain and weed seeds in late summer through winter. Males and females often forage in separated flocks, with females being more insectivorous than males. Except during nesting season, redwings congregate in large nighttime roosts in marshes or woods containing up to several million birds. Annual survival rate is only about 50% to 60%. This high mortality rate is offset by a reproductive rate of 2 to 4 young fledged per female per year. Females have 3 to 5 eggs in their open-cup nests made of grasses and other vegetation. Eggs hatch after 12 days of incubation; the young grow rapidly and are ready to fledge about 10 days later. Females will often renest if their initial nest is destroyed.
Damage to Crops
Red-winged blackbirds can cause considerable damage to ripening corn, sunflower, sorghum, and oats in the milk and dough stages, and to sprouting and ripening rice. These birds provide some benefits by feeding on harmful insects, such as rootworm beetles and corn earworms, and on weed seeds, such as Johnson grass.
Learn More About:
COMMON GRACKLE
GREAT-TAILED GRACKLE
BROWN-HEADED COWBIRD
YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD
BREWER'S BLACKBIRD
RUSTY BLACKBIRD
Economics of Damage and Control
Please read more about us and our bird removal services . You can also learn about Cowleys history and understand why to choose Cowleys for bird exclusion. You can read about what physical or visual bird deterrents are used and what to do if nuisance birds are taking over your business.
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