Everyone knows what Red-winged Blackbirds are. They arrive here at the very start of Spring when there are still bouts of cold and snow to survive, causing general wonderment about their judgement. They fly, perch, and call conspicuously, establishing their territories. Their short, harsh song is among the best known by the general public. Their plumage is all black except for big, bold, red wing patches. They are obvious birds, well-named, and easy to ID. But those are just the males.
The females are a totally different story. They arrive a couple weeks later when people have stopped paying attention to the males. Females' most obvious association with the males is to be chased at high speed around marshes. Females act different, doing more skulking in marshes where they feed and nest. They are smaller than the males. They have no black. They have no red. When most people see a female Red-winged Blackbird, they think, "Oh, a stripy brown bird." Many people stop there, daunted by that category, while other folks are confused by finding not finding it among the sparrows. The name is no help at all. Identifying a female Red-winged Blackbird is a more complicated puzzle which birders memorize. It's also a reminder, whenever there is no obvious match for a brown bird, to check the field guide for females of various species, using shape and habitat as clues. And often birds' names are just distracting arbitrary words. --Dave Nutter > On May 1, 2017, at 1:47 PM, Jody Enck <jodye...@gmail.com> wrote: > > Hi All, > > Here's an opportunity to dust off your field guides (as many as you can find) > and look at all the different plumages presented in those guides of > Red-winged Blackbirds. Like many, many species of birds, males and females > of Red-winged Blackbirds look quite different. The picture posted on the BBC > website of the bird is a female. So, yes, this time of year about half the > Red-winged Blackbirds out there really do look like this. As these are > typically short-distant migrants, it is quite astounding that this bird made > it all the way to Scotland. Even if it hop-scotched across Greenland and > Iceland to get there, it is quite a feat for this bird. Very cool. > > Jody > >> On Mon, May 1, 2017 at 1:34 PM, Tom Hoard <tomhoar...@gmail.com> wrote: >> Maybe a juvenile? >> >> Sent from my iPad >> >>> On May 1, 2017, at 11:36 AM, Sandra J. Kisner <s...@cornell.edu> wrote: >>> >>> Is that what they think a red-winged blackbird looks like? Or is it just a >>> poor choice of illustration? >>> >>> >>> Sandra >>> >>> >>> >>> From: bounce-121484551-3493...@list.cornell.edu >>> [mailto:bounce-121484551-3493...@list.cornell.edu] On Behalf Of Chris R. >>> Pelkie >>> Sent: Monday, May 01, 2017 11:24 AM >>> To: CAYUGABIRDS-L <cayugabird...@list.cornell.edu> >>> Subject: [cayugabirds-l] Fwd: Guess which bird made the front page of the >>> Scottish BBC news... >>> >>> >>> >>> The things some people get excited about… (:-) >>> >>> ______________________ >>> >>> Chris Pelkie >>> Information/Data Manager, Application Systems Analyst >>> Bioacoustics Research Program >>> Cornell Lab of Ornithology >>> 159 Sapsucker Woods Road >>> Ithaca, NY 14850 >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> Begin forwarded message: >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> Subject: Guess which bird made the front page of the Scottish BBC news... >>> >>> Date: May 1, 2017 at 10:16:00 EDT >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> http://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-scotland-39769825/birdwatchers-flock-to-orkney-for-rare-bird >>> >>> >>> >>> Red-winged blackbird spotted on North Ronaldsay - BBC News >>> >>> www.bbc.com >>> >>> Birdwatchers are making their way to North Ronaldsay after what is claimed >>> to be the first European sighting of a red-winged blackbird. >>> >>> >>> >>> -- >>> >>> Cayugabirds-L List Info: >>> >>> Welcome and Basics >>> >>> Rules and Information >>> >>> Subscribe, Configuration and Leave >>> >>> Archives: >>> >>> The Mail Archive >>> >>> Surfbirds >>> >>> BirdingOnThe.Net >>> >>> Please submit your observations to eBird! >>> >>> -- >>> >>> -- >>> Cayugabirds-L List Info: >>> Welcome and Basics >>> Rules and Information >>> Subscribe, Configuration and Leave >>> Archives: >>> The Mail Archive >>> Surfbirds >>> BirdingOnThe.Net >>> Please submit your observations to eBird! >>> -- >> -- >> Cayugabirds-L List Info: >> Welcome and Basics >> Rules and Information >> Subscribe, Configuration and Leave >> Archives: >> The Mail Archive >> Surfbirds >> BirdingOnThe.Net >> Please submit your observations to eBird! >> -- > > -- > Cayugabirds-L List Info: > Welcome and Basics > Rules and Information > Subscribe, Configuration and Leave > Archives: > The Mail Archive > Surfbirds > BirdingOnThe.Net > Please submit your observations to eBird! > -- -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
