BED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS 407 



already hatched and being fed; (3) up-stream was a forage ground, rich 

 enough to warrant a flight of a least a half-mile in each direction; (4) 

 only females forage for food for the young; (5) the flocking tendency 

 manifests itself even in nesting time; (6) there is less tendency to flock 

 on the return journey, when each bird may be assumed to have gathered 

 its quota of food after unequal periods of search and also may be prompted 

 by the then more urgent instinct to return to her brood; (7) males stay 

 continually near the nest, on guard, and do not assist in feeding the young. 



Tri-colored Blackbird. Agelaius tricolor (Audubon) 



Field characters. — As for Red-winged Blackbird, but male with red shoulder patch 

 bordered by a striking white bar, and plumage with faint iridescence. Female so similar 

 to this sex in Red-wing that only association with male can be depended upon for identi- 

 fication in the field. Voice: Song of male, a scolding cskdw-eslceo; call note of both 

 sexes, a harsh throaty check. 



Occurrence. — Resident locally in Lower Sonoran Zone; a nesting colony found near 

 Tuolumne River 2 miles southwest of Lagrange. During nesting season frequents dense 

 tule growths, foraging on open ground in vicinity. Gregarious at all seasons. 



The Tri-colored Blackbird gains its name from the striking combination 

 of color borne by the adult male. His otherwise solidly black plumage has, 

 by way of contrast, a bright red patch on each wing, and this patch is 

 broadly margined below by white. The female is more dully marked, 

 wearing a streaked plumage closely resembling that of the female Red- 

 wing. The close relationship of the Tri-color to the Red-winged Blackbirds 

 is further evidenced by the similarity in the call notes (though not the 

 song) and by the gregarious habits of the two species. But the Tri-color 

 exhibits a number of differences. The song of the male is shorter and less 

 musical, while the species as a whole maintains the flocking habit to a 

 much more persistent degree, so that there is scarcely any relaxation 

 of it during the breeding season. The Tri-colors nest in more compact 

 colonies, often composed of a great many pairs, and they resort to the 

 densest sort of tule thickets, a shelter requirement which probably explains 

 their absence from many localities otherwise suitable. They are not known 

 to scatter out and nest in small marshes as do the other Red-wings. 



In flight the male Tri-colored Blackbird closely resembles the male 

 Red-wing with one notable difference : the red color rarely shows, and the 

 same is true even when the bird is perched, so that the appearance at most 

 times is that of a white-winged blackbird. 



A small but typical colony of Tri-colored Blackbirds comprising about 

 25 pairs was found near the Tuolumne River below Lagrange on May 7, 

 1919. Several pairs were seen foraging in a meadow near the river. After 

 gathering some food material, the birds would perch in adjacent willows 



