Red-winged Blackbird
| Agelaius phoeniceus | Order: Passeriformes | Family: Icteridae (Troupials and Allies) |
Agelaius phoeniceus
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Icteridae (Troupials and Allies)
Adult males precisely live up to the name—females more resemble a sparrow on steroids. The first reliable sign that spring is here is a cattail marsh alive with males establishing their territories. Outside of the breeding season, red-wings gather in huge blackbird flocks and can cause some agricultural damage. The USDA allows farmers in western Minnesota and the Dakotas to kill millions each spring.
Having problems with blackbirds? Check out some ways to solve the problem.
Laura's Published Works
Radio Programs
- February Update 2024
- Mission Accomplished: Fieldfare!! 2024
- Looking for Spring in All the Wrong Places 2023
- Birds in Art, Part 3: When Birds and Humans Intersect 2022
- October Snow! 2020
- Spring Update: March Madness 2019
- T.W.'s Best Bird: Red-winged Blackbird 2018
- Visiting Northern Wisconsin 2018
- First Warbler Walk of the year 2017
- First Red-wing of Spring 2016
- Stephen Ingraham's Poems 2016
- My First Book: The Little Golden Book Bird Stamps 2014
- Mayday! May Snow Storms 2013
- Keeping a Life List 2012
- Helping Birds in Extreme Heat 2012
- Spring along Interstate 65 2011
- Rats, revised 2011
- Bird Deaths 2011
- Birds falling from the sky: sign of the Apocalypse? 2011
- Evolution of Birds at Feeders 2009
- Prolonged Autumn 2009
- Baby-Proofing the World of Birds 2009
- Early Songbird Arrivals: 2009 2009
- March: the Annual Betrayal of the Weather Gods 2009
- Fall Red-winged Blackbirds 2008
- Golden-crowned Kinglet 2008
- Contentment 2008
- Signs of Spring (Early Spring 2008) 2008
- DVD Review: Robert Baldwin's A Loon Story 2007
- Street Patrol 2006
- Sunday Spring Walk 2006
- Migration Update 2006
- Crows 2005
- Poem by Barb Schmeling 2005
- Mike Furtman's White Barred Owl 2005
- Great Backyard Bird Count, 2005 2005
- A Walk in Port Wing 2004
- Spring Is Coming! 2004
- Fall Migration 2003
- Home from Ohio 2003
- Ice Storm 2003
- Roadside Birding 2002
- Mid-summer Sounds 2002
- Niagara Falls 2002
- Costa Rican Robin, the Clay-colored Thrush 2002
- Red-winged Blackbird 2002
- Cruisin' with Spring 2002
- Blackbird Poisoning 2001
- Deer feeding on songbirds 2000
- Slow Down! You Move Too Fast (Re-recorded) 2000
- Blackbirds and Black Birds 2000
- Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 2000
- Poisoned Birds 1999
- Mourning Dove 1997
- Spring is here—almost 1997
- Woodson Art Museum 1996
- Albinism and Leucism 1995
- Baseball Bird List 1995
- Lakewood Pumping Station 1995
- Roller Blading Birder 1995
- Signs of Spring 1995
- Where Are the Killdeer? 1994
- Red-winged Blackbirds (Placeholder) 1994
- Phone Log 1992
- Micki and Maude (reworked from 1988) 1991
- Protecting Babies 1991
- Loon Eye Color 1991
- Sounds of Spring Migration 1991
- New Years Day 1991
- Northern Oriole 1990
- Coin Collecting 1989
- Mobbing and Piracy 1989
- Pumphouse Data 1989
- Bird Song Awareness Week 1989
- Biking to Port Wing 1989
- Questions about birds 1989
- Baltimore Oriole 1989
- Slow Down! 1989
- Migration Hows and Whys 1989
- Red-winged Blackbird 1989
- Migration Report 1989
- Spring is on its way 1989
- Christmas Bird Count 1988 1988
- Movie Review: Micki and Maude 1988
- Blackbirds! 1988
- Last Robin of Winter 1988
- Signs of Spring 1988
- Crows and other spring arrivals 1988
- New Year's Day 1988 1988
- Onomatopoetic Bird Calls and Mnemonics 1987
- Some questions about birds 1987
- Birding from a Car with Kids 1987
- Orioles 1987
- Slow Down! You Move Too Fast (Original) 1987
- Kim Eckert's birding class 1987
- Cracking the Code of All Bird Language 1987
- More migration updates 1987
- Early Signs of Spring 1987
- Christmas Bird Count 1986 1986
- A Birder's Guide to TV 1986
- Fall Migration Update 1986
- A Walk along the Western Waterfront Trail 1986
Sound Recordings
- Warbling Vireo: 2 minutes of singing 2024
- Veery: 3 call notes 2024
- Veery: 8 call notes 2024
- Veery: 4 songs 2024
- Western Meadowlark: 7 Songs 2024
- Wood Thrush: 4 Songs 2024
- Wood Thrush: 9 songs 2024
- Wood Thrush: 11 songs (edited) 2024
- Breakfast in the Driftless 2024
- Sandhill Cranes, 5 calls 2023
- Sandhill Cranes--9 calls 2023
- LeConte's Sparrow, 8 Songs 2023
- After the Ice Storm, in the Snow 2023
- Over an hour of morning song at raspberry bushes 2022
- Mid-morning, 2 hours outside office window 2022
- Dickcissel: 11 songs 2021
- Red-winged Blackbird calls with Evening Grosbeaks in the background 2021
- American Redstart: 24 songs 2019
- Common Yellowthroat: 8 songs 2019
- Least Flycatcher: 20 songs 2019
- Least Flycatcher: 7 songs 2019
- Least Flycatcher: 26 songs 2019
- Bobolink: Four songs 2019
- Sharp-tailed Grouse: 18 minutes of displaying 2019
- Wading Bird Nest Colony: Morning 2018
- Baby Hairy Woodpeckers 2017
- Red-winged Blackbird display call 2004
- Sandhill Cranes: 6 minutes feeding and dancing 2004
- Sandhill Cranes feeding and dancing in field 4 minutes 2004
- Sandhill Cranes feeding, 5 1/2 minutes 2004
- Canada Goose family 2001
- Gadwall: 17 "Burp" calls with other sounds 2001
- Canada Goose, Port Wing Sewage Ponds 2001