Skip to main content
Alerts Museum Closure
Flora & Fauna

Red-winged Blackbird

Agelaius phoeniceus

Chances are you have seen Agelaius phoeniceus at Glenstone as it is one of the most numerous birds on the continent. Their common name, red-winged blackbird, derives from the appearance of the male’s black feathers and red and yellow shoulder patches. Females on the other hand are brown in color allowing them to remain safely hidden among the vegetation where they build their nests. Red-winged blackbirds breed and nest in marsh growth like cattails and bulrushes with the females building open cup nests lashed to standing vegetation. At Glenstone the Pavilions Water Court and Gallery pond are common nesting grounds and are noisily and fiercely protected from predators and humans by the males.