MAYNARD'S REDWING 153 



south and arrive in Pinellas County about the middle of April. I 

 found this species abundant in Collier County in January. * * * 

 The song of this bird seems to differ consistently from that of the 

 eastern bird. An extra descending note is added at the end which 

 makes the song of the Florida bird conk-a-ree-a. This was called to 

 my attention first by the late Maunsell S. Crosby." 



Holt and Sutton (1926) observe: "The Florida Red-wings are much 

 more graceful than the northern birds. Often they were seen swinging 

 and climbing about the willow or bay-berry bushes, like Baltimore 

 Orioles searching for insects." 



DISTRIBUTION 



Range. — The Florida redwing is resident from northern Florida, 

 except in the extreme north-central section (Apalachicola, Cedar 

 Keys), and extreme southeastern Georgia (Okefenokee Swamp, Saint 

 Marys); south to south-central Florida (Fort Myers, Jupiter). 



Winter range. — In winter wandering to southwestern Georgia 

 (Grady County). 



AGELAIUS PHOENICEUS FLORIDANUS Maynard 



Maynard's Redwing 

 HABITS 



This form of redwing is resident in the extreme lower part of the 

 Florida mainland and the Florida Ke3 r s, north to Lake Worth on the 

 east coast, and the town of Everglade in Collier County on the west, 

 including tropical Florida and much of the everglades. This bird was 

 considered at one time to be the Bahama redwing, A. p. bryanti, but 

 it has been shown to be a distinct race worthy of recognition under the 

 name given to it by Maynard. 



He (1896) gives it the following subspecific characters: "Form and 

 general coloration similar to that of the Red-wing but smaller, with 

 the plumage more velvety black, and the buff edging to the scarlet 

 shoulder, deeper. The bill is a little longer and much more slender." 



Of its nest, Maynard (1896) writes: 



The wide-spread marshes of the everglades of Florida are covered with a 

 luxuriant growth of tall grass which attains to the height of five or even six feet. 

 These vast plains form the homes of hundreds of Red-winged Blackbirds and 

 there they also breed. As the grass is submerged in at least a foot of water in the 

 spring, the Blackbirds are obliged to suspend their nests near the top of the stout 

 stalks, of which they bring several together weaving the leaves in the nests and 

 around them in order to make them secure. The everglades are seldom free from 

 wind which often blows a gale, waving the grass back and forth furiously, so that 



