From the moment the arrive in spring, you know they’re here. Red-winged Blackbirds are a wetland bird that is loud and proud and about as bold as you can imagine.
Let’s start with looks: males are mostly a deep black, save for the flashy red and yellow “shoulder-pads” they sport during the breeding season. These shoulder pads are called epaulets, used to show females just how snazzy and appealing they are, and to show other males how dominant and intimidating they are. Epaulets can be flashed on demand, or tucked away to make them less obvious.
Females are the same size and have the same beak shape, but that’s where the similarities end. They are brown and streaky, ideal for blending into the cattails where they nest and take care of their young.
Male Red-winged Blackbird (photo by Mick Thompson)
Female Red-winged Blackbird (photo by Mick Thompson)
On to behavior: these birds are loud, singing their “Conklareeeeee!” songs frequently, robustly, and without reservation. They’re bold, dive bombing anyone who comes too close to the nest and chasing down Red-tailed Hawks, owls, and anything else that looks bigger and badder than them. They’re like the kids in the back seat of the bus, you don’t want to mess with them!
And finally, their noises: Two distinct songs and one call are described below. If you spend any time in or near a wetland, you are almost guaranteed to hear them, so sit back, relax, and enjoy the audio spectacle!
Song:
The Red-winged Blackbird’s most common song is often described as “conk-la-reeee!” — often a herald of spring as it blares through the wetland. They sing like this throughout the year — so much so that a person could get tired of hearing them, but when they migrate away in the winter, the wetland sounds so very empty!
Call
The Red-winged Blackbird can make a variety of different call sounds. One is a “chuff” or “sheff”— a very assertive scolding noise made year-round. Remember how I said the Baltimore Oriole makes some classic blackbird noises in between the whistles of its song? See if you can hear the similarities between the calls below and those noises between the oriole’s whistles!
Another type of Red-winged Blackbird call sounds to me like PEWWWW. Or just a really high-pitched squeak.
The sounds of the Red-winged Blackbird are abundant and loud, making it a wonderful collection of noises to memorize and recall! I hope you enjoy your next wetland outing!
Who’s That Singing? is a series designed for Birding by Ear class participants but available to anyone interested in learning more!
Written by Brenna Marsicek, Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance director of outreach
