146 



KEY AND DESCRIPTION 



among cattle and horses. Their notes are harsh and not in 

 the least musical. 



Length, 9-11 ; wing, SJ (4i-5|) ; tail, 4 J ; culmen, }. Western North 

 America, from Wisconsin, Illinois, and Texas to the Pacific ; wintering in 

 the Southern States and southward, accidental in some of the Atlantic 

 States. 



4. Red-winged Blackbird. (498. Agelahis phaeniceus). — A 

 very common, middle-sized blackbird, with the bend of the 



wing bright red. The 

 red of the wing shades 

 off to a buff. The fe- 

 male is a speckled or 

 streaky brown. The 

 back is made up of 

 rusty, buffy, and black, 

 and the under parts 

 are of black and white. 

 These birds are usually 

 seen in flocks in reedy 

 marshes and meadows. 

 In the early spring, the 

 males and females are 

 found in separate com- 

 panies. The notes are 

 a rich and clear con- 



Bed-winged Blackbird 



qua-ree-e. In July, after the short nesting season, these birds 

 again gather in flocks which usually contain several of the 

 different species of blackbirds. (Swamp Blackbird.) 



Length, 7|-10 ; wing, 3f-5 ; tail, 2|-4 ; tarsus, 1 ; culmen, |-1. North 

 America north to Great Slave Lake ; breeding nearly throughout, and win- 

 tering mainly in the Southern States. The Sonoran Redwing (498". A. 

 p. longirdstris) of southern Texas, California, and northern Mexico aver- 

 ages a little larger, has a smaller bill, and the female is lighter colored, — 

 especially the lower parts, which are mainly white, with fewer dusky 

 markings. The Bahaman Redwing (498''. A. p. bryanti) of southern 

 Florida and the Bahamas averages a little smaller and has a larger bill. 

 In this variety the culmen of the jnale is a full inch in length, and the 

 female has the crown marked with a pale medium stripe. 



