GIANT REDWING 161 



within the space of ten minutes." He found two males that were 

 breeding in the immature plumage characteristic of the first winter. 



Eggs. — The giant redwing lays larger sets of eggs than the southern 

 races, from four to six. In a series of 30 sets in the collection of A. D. 

 Henderson, of Belvedere, Alberta, there are 7 sets of five and 2 sets 

 of six. The eggs are indistinguishable from those of the eastern 

 redwing. 



Winter. — The giant redwing ranges in winter to Kansas, Arkansas, 

 Louisiana, Alabama, Texas, and Illinois, and as a straggler as far east 

 as Connecticut; but many winter farther north. 



Roberts (1932) says: "Flocks of Red-wings, often of considerable 

 size, may remain through the winter in southern Minnesota, feeding 

 in weed-grown corn-fields, around barns and strawstacks and open 

 springy marshes and brooks, and spending the nights in the sheltered 

 lowlands." Stragglers are often found even farther north, enduring 

 temperatures below zero. 



This redwing seems to be a common, and perhaps an abundant, 

 winter resident in Ohio. Milton B. Trautman (1940) estimated that 

 about 20 percent of the redwings migrating through or wintering at 

 Buckeye Lake are referable to arctolegus. Louis W. Campbell (1936) 

 writes: "During the past 8 years flocks of from 20 to 300 Red-winged 

 Blackbirds have been found wintering about Toledo. * * * In an 

 effort to determine the composition of these flocks of wintering birds, 

 twenty-three specimens were collected during 1934, 1935, and 1936, 

 between the dates of December 27 and February 29. Twenty-one of 

 these proved referable to Agelaius phoeniceus arctolegus. * * * The 

 earliest spring specimen of Agelaius phoeniceus phoeniceus was taken 

 on March 12, 1933. The evidence thus indicates that the common 

 wintering Red-winged Blackbird of the Toledo region is Agelaius p. 

 arctolegus." 



DISTRIBUTION 



Range. — Yukon and Mackenzie to Louisiana. 



Breeding range. — The giant redwing breeds from southeastern 

 Yukon, central Mackenzie (Fort Norman, Fort Simpson), northwest- 

 ern Saskatchewan, north-central Manitoba (The Pas, Oxford House), 

 and western and northeastern Ontario (Lake Attawapiskat, Moose 

 Factory) ; south to central British Columbia (Williams Lake, Tachick 

 Lake), southwestern Alberta (Water ton Lakes Park, Milk River), 

 eastern Montana (Powder River County), southern South Dakota 

 (Menno, Vermillion), and Iowa (east to Tama and Van Buren 

 Counties). 



Winter range. — Winters casually north to southern British Col- 

 lumbia (Okanagan Landing), southeastern Saskatchewan (Estevan), 



