If a jet-black bird flashes a patch of fire-red on each shoulder while belting out a loud song from a cattail, you have found a male Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus). Those red shoulder patches are like flags he raises and lowers on purpose.
What it looks like
Males are about 22cm long, glossy black all over with a red shoulder patch bordered below by a yellow stripe. When he is relaxed the red can almost disappear, but when defending territory he puffs it out boldly. Females look like a completely different bird: heavily streaked brown and cream, more like a large sparrow, which helps them hide on the nest.
When and where
- Season: Spring through fall here, with many staying through mild winters in the south of the region.
- Habitat: Marshes, cattail edges, wet ditches, and the grassy borders of ponds and rivers.
- Best time: Early spring mornings, when males sing nonstop from the tallest reeds.
Flags on the shoulder
A male red-winged blackbird controls those red patches like a switch. To warn off rival males he flares them wide and bright, but when he sneaks through a neighbor's territory he hides the red to avoid a fight. A single strong male may defend a patch of marsh holding many females, and he spends most of the breeding season chasing intruders, even diving at hawks and people who get too close to a nest.
Spot one this weekend
Red-winged blackbirds are Common at almost any marsh or pond edge. Walk a boardwalk through cattails in spring and listen for the rich "konk-la-ree" call. Scan the tops of the reeds, since the singing male almost always perches in plain sight.