Red-winged Blackbird

Red-winged blackbirds are the most common member of the Icterid family and perhaps the most common bird in the United States.

Males are easily identified by their black feathers with a splash of red in the wings. Females have brown feathers and a streaks on the breast.

Like other members of the Icterid family, Red-winged blackbirds have very healthy appetites, and they especially enjoy grains during the winter season.

Icterid Species Brown-headed Cowbird Great-tailed Grackle Meadowlark Brewer's Blackbird Yellow-headed Blackbird Bullock's Oriole Hooded Oriole Types of Birds

It seems natural for sparks to fly when you mix one of the most abundant, grain loving, bird species into a country that produces one of the most abundant grain harvests world-wide.

Sure enough, over the past decade, various agriculture interests have called for a variety of red-winged blackbird management policies, including mass baiting and poisoning, to protect their grain fields. The mass poisoning proposal was not implemented and population research management continues.

© 2005-2007 Patricia A. Michaels