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Red-winged Blackbird

Status Common in summer, uncommon in winter. Breeds. It was considered a great rarity in the nineteenth century. Nevertheless, it may have nested, as Downs (1888) states that it was a rare summer resident "in the western part of the province." The first reported nesting was in 1914 in Antigonish County (Lewis 1914). By 1928 it was found nesting in Kings County and has since spread over much of the province. Spring migrants first appear on almost any date in March (average 24 March, earliest 4 March, in localities where the species had not wintered). Although it chooses more diverse habitats elsewhere, in Nova Scotia it primarily breeds in cattail marshes, especially large ones. Large gatherings of these blackbirds are seen during September, and migratory movements are generally most prominent in October. Flocks may be sustained through winter in agricultural districts, but elsewhere only scattered birds remain, generally around bird feeders. Generally fewer are reported from late winter; these winter residents are sometimes found singing in nesting habitats during February thaws, in advance of the arrival of migrants.

Description Length: 19-24 cm. Adult male: Glossy black all over, except shoulder, which is fiery red with border of buff. Adult female: Above dark blackish brown streaked with buff; lines over eye and chin buff; rest of underparts grayish white, striped with dark brown; sometimes a suggestion of red on shoulder.

Breeding Nest: Composed of reed stalks, coarse grass and other vegetable matter, lined with finer grass and usually attached to the stems of aquatic plants but sometimes in low bushes in or near swampy land. Eggs: 4-5; light blue, marked with blotches of dark brown and lavender of various shades and densities. On 28 May 1932 two nests were found near Windsor, one containing five, and the other four, slightly incubated eggs. Both were fastened to the stems of cattails growing in shallow water (B. Colbran).

Range Breeds from central British Columbia, southeastern Mackenzie Valley, central Manitoba, central Ontario, southern Quebec and southwestern Newfoundland, south to central Mexico. Winters from British Columbia, southern Ontario and Nova Scotia, south to Costa Rica.

Remarks It is customary to find the first spring male already dwelling among the cattails where his nest will soon be located. A large marsh attracts more than one nesting pair, creating rivalry over territorial nesting rights. Each male defends his territory zealously, and this explains why he is so often seen at nesting time in hot pursuit of a would-be trespasser. When the redwings return in spring, the cattail swale, a dreary, deserted waste since the birds' departure the summer before, comes to life once more. Over the lush new growth the dark-coloured males appear here and there, each proclaiming ownership of his particular homesite with an often-repeated konk-kar-ree, konk-kar-ree, the notes ending in an ascending trill. To bird-lovers living nearby, the redwing's return to its summer home is a pleasing event.

No one could easily mistake a male Red-winged Blackbird for any other bird, but the sombre-coloured female is less easily recognized. However, no other similar species has her well-defined stripes on its underparts.