RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD. 



498. Agelaius phoeniceus. 9 l / 2 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. Their 

 nest is made of woven grasses and rushes, and is 

 usually partially 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 

 Manitoba and New Brunswick; winters in southern 

 U. S. 



Sub-species. 498b. Bahaman Redwing (bryanti). 

 498c. Florida Red-wing (floridanus). 



