Red-winged Blackbird
Agelaius phoeniceus · Blackbirds & Orioles
Red-winged Blackbird, autumn male
Constitution Marsh, 17 October 2026
A male Red-winged Blackbird on a lichen-covered branch at Constitution Marsh, against the reds and oranges of October. Red-wings breed in every marsh across North America, and by now most of the Hudson Valley's are gathering into flocks to head south.
The rusty edges to the black feathers are fresh autumn plumage. Over the winter they wear away, and by spring the male is glossy black all over without having moulted a feather, ready to show off the red shoulder patch that is mostly tucked away here.
Red-winged Blackbird, male
San Diego, 6 March 2026
A male Red-winged Blackbird side-on, the red shoulder patch bordered by a thin band of yellow that is often the only part visible when the patch is held closed against the body. The epaulet is the whole argument: a male whose red is painted over loses his territory within days, and a male with a bigger patch holds a bigger one. Among the most abundant land birds in North America, though marsh-bound enough to be an occasional sight in a city.
Red-winged Blackbird, male
San Diego, 6 March 2026
A male Red-winged Blackbird side-on in a Californian marsh in March, the red shoulder patch bordered by a thin band of yellow that is often the only part visible when the patch is held closed. Red-wings are marsh birds across the whole continent, and in the West many stay on territory all year.
The epaulet is the whole argument: a male whose red is painted over loses his territory within days, and a male with a bigger patch holds a bigger one. Among the most abundant land birds in North America, though marsh-bound enough to be an occasional sight in a city.
Red-winged Blackbird, female
Prospect Park, 14 December 2025
A female Red-winged Blackbird working a sweetgum seed ball under a crust of snow in Prospect Park in December. Red-wings are marsh birds across the whole continent, and most leave New York for the winter; this one is staying, on seed.
Female Red-winged Blackbirds look nothing like the glossy black, red-shouldered male: heavily streaked brown and buff, closer in pattern to a large sparrow, which leads to more than a few misidentifications every winter. The species is among the most abundant land birds in North America, and one of the earliest to return and sing on territory each spring.
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