LAND BIRDS. 439 



of the Red-winged Blackbird and feeding largely on grain and weed seeds 

 as do the other blackbirds. 



It builds a bulky nest and lays fi'om four to six eggs, which are thickly 

 speckled with brown on a gray back-ground, sometimes with pen scratches 

 of black. The eggs average 1.05 by .71 inches. 



Although a handsome bird it seems to be doubtfully beneficial, according 

 to Prof. Beal's study of its food in the Biological Survey at Washington. 

 He finds that about 30 percent of its food consists of insects harmful to 

 vegetation, all taken from the ground, mainly beetles, grasshoppers and 

 caterpillars. Among the latter the army-worm is not uncommon. On 

 the other hand it gleans waste grain from roadsides, barn yards and pastures 

 like the Cowbird, but it also visits grain fields in large flocks and eats enough 

 to cause much complaint among farmers. Oats and wheat suffer most. 



TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION. 



Adult male: Feathers about the base of bill, including the lores and small area about 

 the eye, deep black; rest of head, neck and chest bright canary yellow, sometimes almost 

 orange; usually a few yellow feathers about the vent and on the thighs (tibise) ; a conspicuous 

 pure white patch on each wing, including the primary coverts and often some of the greater 

 coverts; rest of the plumage, including wings and tail, glossy black; bill and feet black; 

 iris brown. Adult female: Decidedly smaller; brownish black, only the chest, throat 

 and a line over the eye dull yellow; breast with some whitish intermixed with the dark; 

 no white wing-patch. Young: Similar to adult female. In autumn and winter the 

 adult male has the bright yellow much obscured by dusky or brownish tips of the feathers. 



Male: Length 10.60 to ILIO inches; wing 5.65 to 5.80; tail 4.50 to 4.85; culmen .75 

 to 1. Female: 9 to 10 inches; wing 4.40 to 4.65; tail 3.50 to 3.70. 



198. Red-winged Blackbird. Agelaius phoeniceus phoeniceus {Linn.). (498) 



Synonyms: Red-wing, Red-shouldered Blackbird, Swamp Blackbird, Red-winged 

 Starling. — Oriolus phoeniceus, Linn. 1766. — Icterus phoeniceus, Bonap., Nutt. — Sfurnus 

 praidatorius, Wils., 1811. — Agelaius phoeniceus of most other authors. 



Figures 100, 101, 102, 103. 



Adult male mainly or entirely black except for the shoulders (lesser 

 and middle wing-coverts), which are brilliant scarlet bordered with buffy 

 white. Female and young streaked with brownish or grayish above and 

 below, and mottled or not with dull red on the shoulders. 



Distribution. — North America in general from Great Slave Lake south 

 to Costa Rica, with minor exceptions. 



In Michigan the Red-winged Blackbird is almost univci'sally distributed 

 and breeds in every part of the state Avhere suitable conditions are found. 

 It is, however, much more plentiful in the 

 middle and southern portions of the state, 

 although this may be due largely to the 

 greater abundance in these sections of 

 marshes, cattail swamps and similar 

 ground for which it has a decided 

 preference. 



It arrives from the south very early, ,,j^, _ 



the first flocks (which consist entirely of ],,.<r a,,,! foot of i^'Mi'-whiijc.i Biaokhini 

 males) fi-equently entering the southern 

 tier of counties before the end of February (Petersbui'g, Feb. 18, 1893), and 



