Red-winged BlackbirdAgelaius phoeniceusWhere and when to see them

The Red-winged Blackbird is a widespread North American songbird strongly associated with marshes and other open wetlands. It belongs to the family Icteridae, which also includes orioles, meadowlarks, and grackles. Males are conspicuous for their glossy black plumage and bright shoulder patches, while females are brown and heavily streaked. Along the Columbia River, suitable viewing habitat includes sheltered backwaters, sloughs, and wetlands connected to the floodplain. Its ringing song is a familiar sound around reed beds during the breeding season.

Size

17–23 cm long, with a wingspan of 31–40 cm.

Weight

32–77 g; males are generally heavier than females.

Lifespan

Often a few years in the wild; the oldest recorded wild individual lived more than 15 years.

Status

Least Concern (IUCN).

During the breeding season, males establish territories and advertise them with songs and displays that expose their red shoulder patches. A territorial male may breed with several females nesting within his territory. Females build cup-shaped nests attached to upright vegetation, often above water or damp ground. They incubate the eggs and provide most of the care for the young. Adults may give alarm calls and mob predators that approach a nest. Outside the breeding season, Red-winged Blackbirds gather in flocks, sometimes mixing with other blackbirds and starlings. They often feed in open fields and return to communal roosts in dense wetland vegetation. Migration varies by population, with northern breeders generally moving south and many birds in milder areas remaining year-round.

• The male's colored shoulder patches are called epaulets.
• Males can conceal or expose their epaulets during social encounters.
• Females weave nests around upright marsh stems.
• Winter roosts may be shared with several other blackbird species.

Wildlife opportunities depend on the river reach, water levels and species. River-specific viewing months have not been confirmed; general species seasons are not a local sighting forecast.

Red-winged Blackbirds breed in freshwater marshes, wet meadows, and other open habitats with sturdy herbaceous vegetation. Cattails, bulrushes, and reeds provide nesting supports and cover. In the Columbia River corridor, they occur around sloughs, ponds, irrigated farmland, and shallow wetland margins. They also nest in some drier settings, including grassy fields and roadside ditches. Outside the nesting season, agricultural fields and grasslands become important feeding areas, while marshes can support communal roosts.

The diet includes insects, spiders, seeds, and grain. Insects become especially important during the breeding season, and nestlings are fed mainly animal prey. Birds forage on the ground, among wetland stems, and on seed heads, sometimes opening plant material to uncover insects. Seeds and waste grain make up a larger share of the diet in autumn and winter.

Common name

Red-winged Blackbird

Scientific name

Agelaius phoeniceus

Animal group

Birds

Size

17–23 cm long, with a wingspan of 31–40 cm.

Weight

32–77 g; males are generally heavier than females.

Lifespan

Often a few years in the wild; the oldest recorded wild individual lived more than 15 years.

Status

Least Concern (IUCN).

Identification

An adult male is glossy black with red shoulder patches bordered by yellow, although the patches may be partly concealed at rest. Females are dark brown above and strongly streaked below, with a pale eyebrow and a pale, often buff-toned throat. Both sexes have a pointed, conical bill, and males are noticeably larger than females. The male's familiar song is a rough, ringing phrase often rendered as "conk-la-ree," while both sexes give sharp check calls.