306 Birds of Colorado 



speckled and blotched with various shades of brown ; 

 they measure 102 x -71. 



Genus AGELAIUS. 



Moderate-sized birds — wing usually under 5-5 — with a stout, wedge- 

 shaped and pointed bill with a straight culmen ; nostril with a small 

 operculLim ; wings long and pointed, the ninth primary usually dis- 

 tinctly shorter than the eighth, seventh or sixth ; tail at least J the 

 length of the wing, more or less rounded ; tarsas about as long as the 

 middle toe and claw ; sexes very distinct — males black with bright- 

 coloured shoulders, females streaked with white and dark brown. 



This geniis, containing the Red-winged Blackbirds, ranges over the 

 whole of Amer ca. North and South. About twelve species, split up 

 into a considerable number of subspecies, are usually recognized. Two 

 forms of the common eastern American species are found in Colorado. 



Agelaius tricolor, the Tricoloured Blackbird of Cahfornia, is stated 

 by Morrison (86, p. 107 ; 88, p. 74, and 89, p. 148) to be found in 

 La Plata co., in the extreme south-west comer of the State. No 

 examples were procvu-ed, but a flock was seen near Fort Lewis on 

 February 3rd. Further confirmation is necessary before this species 

 can be placed on the Colorado list, but it has been included in the key. 



A. Plvunage without greenish gloss ; lesser wing-coverts scarlet 



to orange ; middle-coverts buffy to tawny. 



a. Smaller; wing of the male about 4-8 ; bill more slender. 



A. phoeniceus, p. 306. 



b. Larger ; wing of the male about 5 ; bill stouter, though hardly 



longer. A. p. fortis, p. 308. 



B. Plumage with a bluish-green gloss ; lesser wing-coverts dull crim- 



son ; middle-coverts whitish to pale bul5. A. tricolor. 



Red-winged Blackbird. Agelaius phoeniceus. 



A.O.U Checklist no 498 — Colorado Records — Allen 72, p. 150 ; 

 Aiken 72, p. 202 ; Henshaw 75, p. 313 ; Minot 80, p. 230 ; Allen 

 & Brewster 83, p. 192 ; Nash 83, p. 225 ; Drew 85, p. 16 

 Beckham 85, p. 142 ; W. G. Smith 86, p. 13 ; Anthony 85, p. 152 

 Morrison 89, p. 148 ; Kellogg 90, p. 88 ; Cooke 97, pp. 94, 211 

 McGregor 97, p. 38 ; Dille 03, p. 74 ; Henderson 03, p. 107 ; 09 

 p. 234 ; Warren 06, p. 22 ; Gilman 07, p. 156 ; OberhoLser 07, p. 332 

 Markman 07, p. 157 ; Warren 08, p. 22 ; 09, p. 15 ; Rockwell 08, 

 pp. 93, 170. (Some of the above records undoubtedly refer partly 

 or wholly to other subspecies. ) 



Description. — Adult Male — Unifoi-m deep black with a faint metallic 

 gloss ; angle of the wing and lesser-coverts scarlet, middle-coverts buffy. 



