EED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS 401 



The two sexes of the Red-wing Blackbird are strikingly different in 

 coloration, size, and habits. The male is a showy creature, his solidly 

 jet black plumage being set off by a pair of brilliantly red epaulets or 

 shoulder patches (technically the group of feathers known as the lesser 

 wing coverts), one on the bend of each wing. The males are about one- 

 half larger than the females ; for example, males of the Nevada race weigh 

 on the average 61 grams (about 2.2 ounces) and females 42 grams (about 

 1.5 ounces). The female wears a much duller garb, the ground color of 

 her plumage being brownish black, relieved by streaks of lighter color. 

 The nature of this pattern is believed to be correlated with the greater 

 responsibilities and need for protective or concealing coloration on the 

 part of the female while she is incubating the eggs or caring for the young. 

 Young birds in their first full plumage (after the down) resemble the 

 female, but are even more extensively streaked. There is much variation 

 in the appearance of individual female and young birds. This is con- 

 ditioned by differential wear of the lighter markings which comprise the 

 feather marginings. Attrition of the feathers against one another and 

 against the harsh siliceous blades of the tules or grasses wears these off 

 and tends to give the plumage in general a darker effect. Certain of the 

 males do not acquire the full black plumage until some time after the 

 fall molt, when wear has removed the buffy feather tippings. In some 

 males the epaulets are orange-colored. 



The male Red-wing (of whatever subspecies), is readily distinguishable 

 from the males of other species of blackbirds by the red patch on his 

 wing. He entirely lacks the white which is seen on the wing of the Tri- 

 color. Females are distinguished from female Brewer Blackbirds by their 

 streaked pattern. The Brewer is altogether unstreaked. 



It is a marked trait of the Red-winged Blackbird to cling to upright 

 stalks. In the tule swamps few or no horizontal perches are available 

 and the long continued addiction to these situations has resulted in the 

 Red-wings using perches of this sort without evident discomfort. In 

 grain fields the Red-wings will cling to stalks barely stout enough to 

 support their weight, and often sway back and forth as the vegetation 

 is blown by the wind or bends under the weight of the birds. Occasionally 

 one particular spot, such as an approach to a nest in a swamp, is used 

 repeatedly, and the stout sharp claws of the feet perforate the tules and 

 leave series of punctures, three in a row, in the tough blades. 



The Red-winged Blackbird remains in large flocks until the end of 

 the rainy season. Several flocks of different sizes, including one of at least 

 400 individuals, were seen from the window of a train between Merced 

 and Snelling on February 26, 1916. On a trip over the same route two 

 months later, on April 26, 1916, we found the Red-wings all in pairs and 



