RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD. 
498. Agelaius pheniceus. 9% inches. 
Male black, with scarlet and buff shoulders; female 
brownish black above and streaked below. Nearly all 
our ponds or wet meadows have their pair or colony of 
Blackbirds. 
Note.—A harsh cack; a pleasing liquid song, ‘‘ conk- 
err-ee,’’? given with much bowing and spreading of the 
wings and tail. 
Nest.—Usually at low elevations in bushes, in swamps 
or around the edges of ponds, or frequently on the 
ground or on hummocks in wet pastures. The nest is 
made of woven grasses and rushes, and is usually partial- 
ly suspended from the rim when placed in bushes. The 
three to five eggs are bluish white, scrawled, chiefly 
around the large end, with blackish (1.00 x .70). 
Range.—East of the Rockies, breeding north to Mani- 
toba and New Brunswick; winters in southern U. S. 
Sub-species.—498b. Bahaman Redwing (bryanti). 
498c. Florida Redwing (floridanus). 
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