Agelaius phoeniceus
Marshes, ditches, and fields across most of the continent. Small walking track in mud at a marsh edge.
What does a red-winged blackbird look like?
Male black with a red epaulet. Female looks like a large streaked sparrow.
What do red-winged blackbird tracks look like?
A small blackbird print in marsh mud. The shoulder patch, if you see the bird, decides it.
- Small walking track in mud at a marsh edge
- Male is black with a red and yellow shoulder patch
- Female is brown and heavily streaked
- Often on a cattail
- Whitewash on reeds
What does red-winged blackbird poop look like?
Whitewash on cattails and under a roost. Do not handle droppings. Several species carry parasites that stay in the soil around a latrine.
Where you find it
Marshes, ditches, and fields across most of the continent. Typical places: wetland, field. Year-round in much of the range. Some move south for winter.
What to do next
- Watch from a distance
- Do not approach a nest
- If a bird is injured, call a local wildlife rehabilitator
This page is a field guide, not a permit to approach wildlife. If an animal is injured, aggressive, or inside a house, call a local wildlife officer.
Animals it is confused with
- Common grackle identification
- European starling identification
- All animal identification pages
- Identify an animal from a photo, track, or description
What does a female red-winged blackbird look like?
Brown and heavily streaked, not black. She is often in the same marsh as the males.
How to tell a red-winged blackbird from similar animals
Use the track, the dropping, and the place together. One print is not enough.
- Common grackle. A walking print larger than a starling. Lanky blackbird with a long tail and a pale eye.
- European starling. A small walking print. Short-tailed, dark, with a yellow bill in summer and white spots in winter.
Red-winged blackbird field marks
- Small walking track in mud at a marsh edge
- Male is black with a red and yellow shoulder patch
- Female is brown and heavily streaked
- Often on a cattail
Where the sign shows up
Marshes, ditches, and fields across most of the continent. Typical places: wetland, field. Year-round in much of the range. Some move south for winter.
A small blackbird print in marsh mud. The shoulder patch, if you see the bird, decides it. Whitewash on cattails and under a roost.
Common questions
What does a female red-winged blackbird look like?
Brown and heavily streaked, not black. She is often in the same marsh as the males.