Conspicuously Black 
which are so frequently called precisely what they are not. In 
spite of the compliment implied in associating the name of one 
of our finest songsters with it, the rusty blackbird has a clucking 
call as unmusical as it is infrequent, and only very rarely in the 
spring does it pipe a note that even suggests the sweetness of 
the redwing’s. 
Red-winged Blackbird 
(Agelaius pheeniceus) Blackbird family 
Called also: SWAMP BLACKBIRD ; RED-WINGED ORIOLE ; 
RED-WINGED STARLING 
Length—Exceptionally variable—7.50 to 9.80 inches. Usually 
about an inch smaller than the robin. 
Male—Coal-black. Shoulders scarlet, edged with yellow. 
Female—Feathers finely and inconspicuously speckled with 
brown, rusty black, whitish, and orange. Upper wing- 
coverts rusty black, tipped with white, or rufous and some- 
times spotted with black and red. 
Range—North America. Breeds from Texas to Columbia River, 
and throughout the United States. Commonly found from 
Mexico to 57th degree north latitude. 
Migrations—March. October. Common summer resident. 
In oozy pastures where a brook lazily finds its way through 
the farm is the ideal pleasure ground of this ‘‘bird of society.” 
His notes, ‘‘h’-wa-ker-ee” or ‘‘con-quer-ee” (on an ascending 
scale), are liquid in quality, suggesting the sweet, moist, cool 
retreats where he nests. Liking either heat or cold (he is fond 
of wintering in Florida, but often retreats to the north while the 
marshes are still frozen); enjoying not only the company of large 
flocks of his own kind with whom he travels, but any bird 
associates with whom he can scrape acquaintance; or to sit 
quietly on a tree-top in the secluded, inaccessible bog while his 
mate is nesting; satisfied with cut-worms, grubs, and insects, or 
with fruit and grain for his food—the blackbird is an impressive 
and helpful example of how to get the best out of life. 
Yet, of all the birds, some farmers complain that the black- 
bird is the greatest nuisance. They dislike the noisy chatterings 
when a flock is simply indulging its social instincts. They 
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