Wing Island Bird Banding Station: Photo Gallery

Many people are familiar with the male Red-winged Blackbird, with his jet black plumage and red shoulders, as he sings his "konk-ker-eee" song in the marshes in spring. The female, pictured above, looks quite different. She has heavy blackish-brown streaking overall, with a pinkish-orange throat and may have a rusty coloration on her shoulders. Her plumage acts as a camouflage as she nests in swamp lands. The nest is built in a low bush or attached to marsh reeds near the ground. Red-winged Blackbirds breed throughout the United States and Canada. They leave the northern portions of the U.S. and Canada during the winter.