MEADOWLARKS AND BLACKBIRDS: Family let eridae [52.5] 



DISTRIBUTION. General: Breeds on northwest coast from British Columbia to Mendo- 

 cino County, California. In Oregon: Common permanent resident of counties west 

 of Cascades. (See Figure 17.) 



THERE ARE no great breeding colonies of the Northwestern Red-wing 

 comparable to those great aggregations of Nevada Red-wings in the south- 

 central Oregon swamps. It lives in small colonies along the willow- 

 bordered streams or in the much less extensive swamp areas of the stream 

 bottoms and tide flats. In habits and behavior, it is quite similar to 

 other Red-wings, except that the migrating flocks and summer congrega- 

 tions are much smaller than those east of the mountains. Johnson (1880), 

 who listed it from the Willamette Valley (Salem and Forest Grove) as 

 "very abundant in summer, breeding with the usual habits of the species, ' ' 

 seems to have been the first to record it from western Oregon, though it 

 is odd that the earlier explorers missed so conspicuous a bird. He was 

 closely followed by Anthony (1886), who reported it as a common 

 breeder at Wapato Lake, and later by many others who found it a widely 

 distributed bird in that part of the State, where it is found in every 

 county. We have egg dates between May 3 and June 6, mostly around 

 Portland, although a few are from Devils Lake in Lincoln County. 



Tricolored Red-wing: 



Agelaius tricolor (Audubon) 



DESCRIPTION. " Adult male: Glossy blue black, plumage with silky luster; epaulettes 

 dark red, bordered with white, more or less tinged with buff; in winter, plumage softer, 

 more glossy, and white on epaulettes more or less tinged with buff. Adult female: 

 texture of plumage like that of male; upper parts dusky with greenish or bronzy 

 luster; crown narrowly streaked; scapulars and interscapulars with grayish edgings; 

 wings with grayish and whitish bands; head with superciliary and malar streaks; 

 throat and chest streaked; rest of under parts dusky with paler edgings to feathers. 

 Immature female, first winter: like adult female, but browner. Young: like female, but 

 browner, and under parts narrowly streaked; wings with two bands. Male: length 

 (skins) 8.00-9.05, wing 4.63-4.87, tail 3.31-3.75, bill .87-. 95. Female: length 

 (skins) 7.10-7.85, wing 4.11-4.32., tail x. 91-3.16, bill .78-. 83." (Bailey) Nest and 

 eggs: Similar to those of Nevada Red-wing. 



DISTRIBUTION. General: Breeds from Klamath Lake south through California to 

 Lower California. In Oregon: Found only at Klamath Lake. 



THE TRICOLORED RED-WING has been reported from Oregon many times, 

 beginning with Newberry (1857). Bendire failed to find it and said it 

 must be rare in this territory, which he felt must be the northernmost 

 point reached by the species. Anthony (1886) called it an abundant 

 breeding species in Washington County. Merrill (1888) reported seeing 

 a few among the commoner Red-wings. Woodcock (1902.) listed it from 

 Klamath and Portland. Peck (191 la) recorded it from northern Malheur 

 County. These records were all unsupported by specimens. Neff (1933), 

 however, actually took specimens near Klamath Falls between June 14 



