Species

Red-winged blackbird

Agelaius phoeniceus

The blackbird with red shoulder patches that calls 'conk-la-ree!' from every Georgia marsh.

Photo Cephas (opens in a new tab) / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 (opens in a new tab)

Territoriality

At a glance

Size: About 17 to 23 cm long
Weight: About 32 to 77 g
Habitat: Marshes, wet fields, ditches and pastures
Diet: Insects in summer; seeds and grain in winter
In Georgia: Abundant resident statewide
Voice: A gurgling "conk-la-ree"
Rabies vector: No

Identification

Male: Glossy black with red and yellow shoulder patches
Female: Dark brown and heavily streaked
Told apart from: Common grackle, which is larger with a long tail
Where to look: Marshes, ditches and fields

Behaviour

Male red-winged blackbirds defend territories from cattails and fence posts, flashing their red shoulders. In winter they form huge flocks with other blackbirds.

Why they matter

Red-winged blackbirds are one of the most abundant birds in North America. They eat many insects in summer, including crop pests.

Reproduction and lifecycle

Nest — A woven cup attached to marsh plants
Eggs — Usually three or four
Incubation — About 11 to 13 days
Chicks — Fed by both parents
Flight — At about 11 to 14 days
Lifespan — Several years

Living around people

Males defending nests may dive at people near marshes; moving on ends it.

Misconceptions

Blackbirds are pests. They eat many harmful insects.

Related species

Seasonal activity

When this species is breeding, and when there are nests on the ground. Mowing during the shaded months is how most nests are found.

Breeding and active nests by month for this species
	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Breeding	Jan: no	Feb: no	Mar: no	Apr: no	May: no	Jun: no	Jul: no	Aug: no	Sep: no	Oct: no	Nov: no	Dec: no
Active nests	Jan: no	Feb: no	Mar: no	Apr: no	May: no	Jun: no	Jul: no	Aug: no	Sep: no	Oct: no	Nov: no	Dec: no
Notes	Winter flocks	Males singing	Nesting	Nesting	Chicks	Second broods	Young fledging	Flocks forming	Flocks	Flocks	Flocks	Flocks

Where it lives

Recorded in 91 states and provinces. Each one links to the other animals there, and to the rehabilitators licensed for them.

Canada

If you found one

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