One of the beautiful sounds of a summer day in Oregon is the call of the red-winged blackbird. We attract them to our yard with suet hanging from the pine tree outside. They hang off of it to snack and will also do their best to fit on the regular feeder to grab a mouthful of seed, or at least long enough to knock some down to the ground below for a meal.
Red-winged blackbirds are quite common in Southern Oregon, at least they are here in our backyard. The males are easy to identify with their jet black coloring except for the red and yellow marks on their shoulders. They are also one of the few I can identify just by their songs.
If you keep seed on the ground in your yard, you will have plenty of visitors.
Watch for the females too. They are a little harder to spot. The females have
streaky brown feathers and can look a lot like a sparrow.
What Does A Blackbird Tell
You?
Getting a visit from a red-wing blackbird brings the message that you have a positive change
in your future. Blackbirds are bold and aggressively go after what they need. Native
Americans consider our blackbird friends to be an important spirit animal,
symbolizing change and spiritual growth. For many tribes they are a good omen
and important totem.
5 Cool Facts About Red-Winged
Blackbirds
Blackbirds are polygynous. That means one handsome male can have up to 15
females at the same time. Scientists did check out the territorial males who
have multiple females in their “domain” and up to half of the young had
different dads.
The males are super protective of their territories during the breeding
season. They spend more than a quarter of their day chasing away other males,
attacking predators, and chasing off bigger critters like horses or even
people.
Blackbirds like to hang out in flocks. In summer they hang out in small
groups near the wetlands where they breed. In the winter, they will huddle up
in groups of several million birds, including other species of blackbirds and
starlings. In the morning, the members spread out up to fifty miles to look for
food and then gather back up in the evening.
There is one California sub-species that does not have yellow on their
wings. Scientists believe this is a way for them to recognize each other and
what territory they are from.
The oldest blackbird on record lived fifteen years and nine months of age.
Red-Winged Blackbirds live in marshes year-round in the United States. They
also enjoy meadows and fields near ponds. We live in an area right next to a
creek with a pond behind the house across the street. There are quite a few
fields nearby too, big agricultural areas.
What Do Red-Winged
Blackbirds Eat?
In the summer, the red-winged blackbirds enjoy lots of juicy insects or spiders to eat. In the winter, they search for seeds like corn and wheat. If you live near water and want to attract these beautiful birds to your yard, put out seeds and suet in the early spring and late fall. They love to eat seeds right off the ground.
How Do Red-Winged Blackbird Communicate?
Our blackbird friends communicate with each other both vocally and visually.
They have different calls for different emotions with one for when they are
alarmed or calling their mates or even just checking in with each other.
How Do Red-Winged
Blackbirds Breed?
They begin building nests between March and May. The males picks the nesting
site and defends it. Once a female accepts him and the site, they build a nest
by weaving together a basket made of plant materials. Then the female will lay
three to five eggs. The female will sit on then for around twelve days until
they hatch. The chicks can fly and are independent within two or three weeks.
They reach adulthood in two or three years.
