MEADOWLARKS AND BLACKBIRDS: Family Icteridae [52.3] 



These flocks are made of Yellow-heads, Red-wings, Brewer's Blackbirds, 

 and some Nevada Cowbirds, but the first two are generally the most 

 abundant. Wherever grasshoppers appear, the blackbird swarms descend 

 upon them and devour great numbers, often without making any notice- 

 able inroad into the insect hordes. 



Nevada Red-wing: 



Agelaius phoeniceus nevadensis Grinnell 



DESCRIPTION. "Adult male in breeding plumage: Black except for red and buffy brown 

 or whitish shoulder patches. Adult male in winter: like summer male, but buff of 

 wing coverts deeper and scapulars and interscapulars edged with rusty. Adult 

 female in breeding plumage: plumage of harsh texture compared with the silky plumage 

 of the male: streaked, top of head dark brown, with buffy median crown stripe and 

 superciliary; nape and fore part of back dark brown, lightly marked with buffy; 

 shoulders faintly tinged with red; under parts whitish, heavily streaked with dark 

 brown; throat variably tinged with creamy, buff, or pinkish. Adult female in winter: 

 lighter markings of upper parts more conspicuous, under parts tinged with buffy. 

 Immature male: epaulettes flecked with black and varying from orange to red; black 

 of plumage obscured by heavy rusty and buffy edgings above, and light ashy or 

 brownish tips below. Young: like adult female, but throat, superciliary, and malar 

 stripes yellowish; ground color of under parts pale buffy or yellowish with narrow 

 dusky streaks." (Bailey) Si%e: Length (skins) 5.75-8.30, wing 3.90-5.04, tail 1.70- 

 3.86, bill .75-. 96. Nest: In small trees, bushes, attached to stems of rushes and tules, 

 or sometimes on the ground. Well-woven basket of dried grasses and similar vege- 

 tation. Eggs: 3 to 5, pale bluish, scrawled and blotched with black, brown, and 

 purple. 



DISTRIBUTION. General: Breeds from British Columbia and northern Idaho south 

 through California (east of the Sierras) and Nevada to northern Arizona, New 

 Mexico, and Texas. Winters south to Mexico. In Oregon: Abundant summer resi- 

 dent east of Cascades. Less common winter resident. (See Figure 17.) 



FIGURE 17. Distribution of two forms of red-wings in Oregon: i, Nevada Red- 

 phoeniceus nevadensis^); 2., Northwestern Red-wing. (/4 p. caurinus^). 



