BLACKBIRDS 
Flying silently with the precision of a winged army, flocks of as many 
as several thousand red-winged blackbirds make their way north or south 
depending on whether it be spring or autumn. When they turn or swoop, 
the entire flock executes the maneuver at the same instant. 
When these birds feed on the ground, those at the rear, when they 
have exhausted their portion of insects or grain, take wing and fly in a great 
whirr over the heads of their companions to alight ahead of them. This 
process is in turn continued by the new rear guard until the flock has 
advanced to a wood or other barrier. Then all take wing at once and fly 
to the next field. 
These birds nest in swamps, mating in April and May. The jet black 
males pursue the females or perch before them, raising their wings and 
bowing in such a manner as best to set off their brilliant red epaulettes. 
At the same time they utter their note, kong-quer-kee. 
The nests are situated on tussocks, on bushes at the border of a marsh, 
or simply in the grass. The materials used in its construction are various 
grasses and barks in a wet state. For lining fine grass tops and, if available, 
horsehair are used. It requires about one week for the nest to be built 
and to dry sufficiently for use. There may be hundreds of such nests in a 
single marsh. Each female lays from two to five eggs. Sometimes a male 
secures two or three mates, and all live happily in nests side by side. When 
the eggs hatch out, the marsh becomes alive with the young, who crawl 
about before they are able to fly. The chicks often fall into the water, but 
usually manage to get out again while their fathers perch on high trees 
and keep a lookout for intruders. The males are courageous enough to 
attack a bittern or even a hawk to defend their young. 
These blackbirds are valuable to farmers for their destruction of 
caterpillars, canker-worms, weevils, beetles, grasshoppers and other insect 
pests. They are destructive, however, for their grain-eating habits, particu¬ 
larly in the West where they have been known to devour whole crops. A 
favorite dish of theirs is wild rice. The good they do is generally believed 
to outweigh the harm, and they are protected by law in almost all states. 
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