Red-winged Blackbird Photo Gallery

Species Spotlight

Meet the bold Red-winged Blackbird! This quick 2-minute introduction presents all the basic information you need to know about this common North American bird, from identification to foods, nesting behavior, range, and more.

Breeding male (Red-winged)

Stocky, broad-shouldered blackbird with a slender, conical bill. Males have a red shoulder patch bordered in yellow.

Female (Red-winged)

Stocky, broad-shouldered blackbird with a slender, conical bill. Females are brown and heavily streaked overall with a yellowish wash around the bill.

Breeding male (Red-winged)

Males sing frequently from cattails and other conspicuous perches.

Female (Red-winged)

Females are dark brownish overall, with crisply streaked underparts.

Nonbreeding male (Red-winged)

Nonbreeding males often look scaly and have incomplete red shoulder patches.

Breeding male (California Bicolored)

Males in California lack the yellow border on the red shoulder patch.

Female (California Bicolored)

Female birds in California often have more cinnamon tones to their feathers and dark undertail coverts with less streaking.

Breeding male (Mexican Bicolored)

Birds breeding in Mexico lack the yellow border to the red shoulder patch.

Breeding male (Red-winged)

Males spend much of the breeding season sitting on a high perch over their territories and singing their hearts out.

Breeding male (Red-winged)

Males display by holding their wings out to show off the red shoulder patches.

Female (Red-winged)

Breeds in wetlands.

Flock

Flocks in the thousands with other blackbirds, grackles, cowbirds, and starlings.