Blackbirds

Red-winged Blackbird

Rotschulterstärling

Agelaius phoeniceus

Blackbirds12 photosFirst seen: 5 July 2026

The Red-winged Blackbird is a common wetland and grassland bird across North America. Males are black with red-and-yellow shoulder patches, while females are brown and strongly streaked. It feeds on insects and seeds on the ground, in fields and among marsh vegetation. Males defend territories that may contain several nesting females. Outside the breeding season, the species gathers in large mixed flocks with other blackbirds.

ID tip: A streaky brown female is told from a sparrow by its long, sharply pointed bill and blackbird proportions; the male's red-and-yellow shoulder is diagnostic when shown.

First seen: 5 July 2026 · Union Bay Natural Area · 12 photos in the collection.

Places in my records

Locations where this species is supported by a dated first record, an unambiguous single-place outing or a reviewed assignment.

Union Bay Natural Area5 July 2026

Family: Blackbirds (Icteridae)
Length: 17–23 cm
Wingspan: 31–40 cm
Regional status: Year-round resident (Pacific Northwest, USA)
Conservation: Least Concern LCIUCN Red List · retrieved 27 August 2026
Habitat: Marshes, cattails, wet fields, ditches
Diet: Insects, seeds, grain

Built from verified occurrence records, not drawn by hand. Core range = the countries holding 99% of all records; the rest are scattered or vagrant records. Record counts track where people watch birds as much as where the birds are, so the map shows presence, not abundance. Data: GBIF (CC BY 4.0). Basemap: Natural Earth.

Selected photographs

Complete photo archiveAll 12 published photographs of this species, including the selected main gallery.Open all 12 photos in the archive →