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Agelaius phoeniceus

(red-and-buff-shouldered blackbird)

Overview

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Interesting Facts

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Common Names

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Click on the language to view common names.

Common Names in English:

bicolored blackbird, marsh blackbird, red-and-buff-shouldered blackbird, red-shouldered blackbird, Red-shouldered Starling, red-wing, Red-winged Blackbird, red-winged blackbird redpoll, Red-winged Oriole, Red-winged Starling, Swamp Blackbird

Common Names in French:

Carouge , carouge à épaulettes, carouge à épaulettes

Common Names in German:

Rotschulterstärling

Common Names in Japanese:

ハゴロモガラス

Common Names in Spanish:

Tordo sargento

Description

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Physical Description

Adult Female: Head : Crown: brown Face : dusky tan Eyebrow Line : broad, dusky tan Malar : thin brown mark Postocular Stripe : dark brown Body: Underparts: dusky white with heavy brown streaks Upperparts: brown with dark streaks.Adult Male: Tail: black.

Color:

The male is completely black except for a red shoulder patch (epaulet) with a narrow, yellow horizontal bar at the base of the patch. The female is brown above and has vertical brown and buff streaks below.

Adult male: Bright red patch on wings bordered by yellow (border missing in some races) · Black plumage · Immature male similar to adult male but has pale supercilium and brown edges to black feathers

Adult female: Pale supercilium · Heavily streaked underparts · Upperparts brown and white · Sometimes has yellow tinge to face and throat · Females very dark in some races · Juveniles similar to adult females

Size/Age/Growth

About 7.5 to 9.5 inches long, with a wingspan of 12 to 14.5 inches. Adults weigh about 2.3 ounces .

Habitat

The Red-winged Blackbird inhabits both wetland areas, such as freshwater and saltwater marshes, and dry upland areas, such as meadow, prairies, and old fields .

Vegetation: freshwater marshes, saltwater and brackish marshes, arid lowland scrubs, riparian thickets • Maximum Elevation: 3,000 meters • Foraging Strata: Midstory • Center of Abundance: Middle montane: mountains, middle range, 1,600-2,600 m. • Sensitivity to Disturbance: Low

Typically found at an altitude of 0 to 2,911 meters (0 to 9,551 feet).[1]

Ecology: List of Habitats :

Biology

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Diet

During the breeding season , it forages primarily on insects and other invertebrates . During the winter months it feeds primarily on grains. Large foraging flocks are common during winter and, less commonly, during the summer away from the breeding territories. Large migratory flocks may be observed during fall and early spring . Predation of eggs and nestlings is common.

Reproduction

Breeding season lasts from February through August. The birds commonly nest in marsh or prairie habitat . The female builds a cup-shaped nest about 1-2 m (3-6 ft ) above ground or water. She weaves the nesting material , usually grasses or reeds, into several upright cattails, reeds, or grasses for support . The female lays 3 - 4 greenish-blue eggs with brown spots, which she incubates for 11 days. Young are altricial. Both parents feed insects and insect larvae to the nestlings for 14 days. Then the young fledge from the nest. Red-winged Blackbirds are often polygamous.

Migration

Migratory

Behavior

Nest predators include birds, snakes , and the Raccoon.

Taxonomy

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Synonyms

Agelaius phoeniceus (Linnaeus, 1766)

Notes

Name Status: Accepted Name .

Last scrutiny: 11-Oct-2007

Similar Species

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Tricolored Blackbird

Members of the genus Agelaius

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 19 species and subspecies in this genus:

A. assimilis (Red-Shouldered Blackbird) · A. cyanopus (Unicoloured Blackbird) · A. cyanopus cyanopus (Unicoloured Blackbird) · A. flavus (Saffron-Cowled Blackbird) · A. humeralis (Tawny-Shouldered Blackbird) · A. humeralis humeralis (Tawny-Shouldered Blackbird) · A. icterocephalus (Yellow-Hooded Blackbird) · A. icterocephalus icterocephalus (Yellow-Hooded Blackbird) · A. phoeniceus (Red-And-Buff-Shouldered Blackbird) · A. phoeniceus arctolegus (Red-Winged Blackbird) · A. phoeniceus phoeniceus (Red-Winged Blackbird) · A. ruficapillus (Chestnut-Capped Blackbird) · A. ruficapillus ruficapillus (Chestnut-Capped Blackbird) · A. thilius (Yellow-Winged Blackbird) · A. thilius thilius (Yellow-Winged Blackbird) · A. tricolor (Red-And-White-Shouldered Blackbird) · A. xanthomus (Yellow-Shouldered Blackbird) · A. xanthomus xanthomus (Yellow-Shouldered Blackbird) · A. xanthophthalmus (Yellow-Eyed Blackbird)

More Info

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Further Reading

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Notes

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Contributors

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal March 14, 2008:

Identifiers

Footnotes

  1. Mean = 28.640 meters (93.963 feet), Standard Deviation = 44.340 based on 109,517 observations. Altitude information for each observation from British Oceanographic Data Centre. [back]
Last Revised: 2012-07-14