Talk:Red-winged blackbird

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Attacks

The RWB does attack for no reason. There was one out where I walk and every time you come within his section he swoops at you and constantly squaks above your head. This past week I noticed there are two additional ones.... offsprings I'm assuming who he's taught well how to swoop and squak. Now they not only swoop at you in their section, the come across the road at you also. How does a person know they aren't going to actually attack?? Is there anyway to kill these birds or chase them away from the walking trail. I'm afraid someone, or myself, may get hurt by them. What if they attack a child sometime? --66.43.199.41 19:06, 7 August 2006 (UTC) Carol, 8/7/06

this walking path is probably coming to close to it's nest, or something. If all it does is "swoops at you constantly squaks above your head" then I don't see how they're going to hurt anybody, child or otherwise. if the birds are actually physically attacking you, which seems considerably less likely, you might want to consider taking an alternate path for a week or two. Michael1115 (talk) 14:26, 13 December 2008 (UTC)

_________________________________________________ Attacking the parents of other beings (humans in this case), simply because these birds do not have a better ability to assess the difference between a threat and a non-threat, is NOT acceptable behavior. The proof of this is in that we would not accept this behavior from our own kind in our own neighborhoods. In addition, there is a BIG difference between "defending" and "attacking". Likewise, there is a HUGE difference between defending and taking a defensive posture. Defending something, territory or otherwise, immediately implies an actual danger, which we generally do not pose to these birds as we consciously have created protections for them. We share this world with these birds and it is WE who afford them their space, because it is we who have the ability to control (to a greater extent) the population of their species and the availability of their habitats, especially within our own habitats. In other words, we leave them in PEACE to the point of effecting Federal and State laws regarding their humane treatment. Now, as a human, I DO know the difference between defending and attacking and I can tell you, from direct personal experience, that being attacked by one of these birds, for merely walking nearby, is grounds for actual defense on my part. To that end, the defense of my own self under not just a perceived threat, which is the guise these birds attack under, but under an actual attack, which is what they are really doing, will not end well for the bird regardless of previous protections afforded them. I will not be ruled over by a bird of any type, nor by cowardice, nor by fear, nor by ignorance, and neither should you be. For...

...Then God said, "Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." - Genesis 1:26

---

— Preceding unsigned comment added by 173.15.122.59 (talk) 06:50, 23 July 2017 (UTC)

The red-winged blackbird is most certainly protecting his nestlings or fledglings, from what he perceives as a threat. He is only being a good parent and should be given some consideration. Taking an alternative path for a week or so would be the kind thing to do.

Please see WP:TALK and WP:DENY for guidance. Walter Siegmund (talk) 16:37, 23 July 2017 (UTC)

Photo

this picture we can't use, but it sure is a great one: Kingturtle 21:37 Apr 18, 2003 (UTC)

Cool photo, but it's actually an image of the red-winged cattail dragon, Draco piecontentensis. :-) Stan

Human Attack

I put on that they have been known to attack humans but someone took it off. I know this because one attacked me or chased me away from it's nest twice went i went near the same place walking home from school i haven't gone near the nest since. If someone disputes this fact i will not try to put it back on. tell me what you think --Gilimonster 12:30, 20 June 2006 (UTC)

see reply on --User talk:Gilimonster jimfbleak 16:01, 20 June 2006 (UTC)

"Mobbing", when I've observed it, is a bunch of outraged birds screaming furiously at a predator. This usually leads to physical contact of some kind; like Gilimonster, I've observed RWB's landing hits against Crow's, Raven's, Red Tailed Hawk's (all of this both while perched and in flight), and, occasionally, human picnicers. I suspect that if we asked those who have had their scalps 'raked' by an RWB, they would characterize the event as an "attack". Are there any observations of RWB's hassling dogs or other non-avian predators in this manner? mdf 19:55, 22 June 2006 (UTC)

When discussing animal behavior we cannot be anthropocentric. The red-wings are not "attacking" and are not "outraged." They are simply defending their territory and by that they are increasing their fitness (reproductive success). If something is a potential threat to their fitness they are going to defend their territory and offspring. 01:17, 23 February 2007 (UTC)

Attack doesn't seem anthropomorphic, but if it's an issue, they swoop would be threats to their territory. I see that this article now states, "only on very few documented occasions...". As other visitors to this page who have been swooped, it seems rather inaccurate. Red winged blackbirds become very territorial during breeding season (may-june). They are especially aggressive with bicyclists, possibly because they are a high speed approaching threat, which may appear more predatory. My many unnerving experiences were on Assateague Island. There's a Naturalist society website that references this. I would propose the behavior section instead read "During breeding season they can be quite territorial and males are known to swoop invaders of their territory." --Ekmsid (talk) 15:24, 24 October 2010 (UTC)

Further Reading

I can't help but notice that the Further Reading section is longer than the article itself. This is completely absurd. Someone needs to go through and cut 95% of it out. If it's important information, move it to a reference and cite it in the article. Keep Further Reading down to pertinent general information on red-wing blackbirds. 144.92.39.93 19:35, 9 November 2007 (UTC)

Anishinaabe language

The following was added by an anonymous IP today, and may be creative vandalism. It needs to be sourced.

In one dialect of the Anishinaabe language, an Indigenous language spoken throughout much of the bird's Northeastern range, the name for the Red-winged Blackbird is Memiskoniinisi (containing the word 'red'), which does not refer to its blackness however. In another dialect it is referred to as Memiskonigwiigaans (containing the words 'red' and 'wing') Other dialects refer to its blackness, calling it Memiskondinimaanganeshiinh (which includes 'red' and 'bird').

MeegsC | Talk 08:31, 9 July 2008 (UTC)

CJLippert (talk · contribs) has helped improve the section. MeegsC | Talk 14:27, 9 July 2008 (UTC)

It appears the anonymous IP user from the Toronto area with a limited understanding of the Anishinaabe languages added the information using the Weshki's, Guy's and my Freelang Ojibwe Dictionary, without understanding the imbedded dialect codes there, or the bird's names' literal meanings, and without any citation. Glad to help. CJLippert (talk) 14:43, 9 July 2008 (UTC)

-Thanks a lot for the improvement! I'll be the first to admit my extremely limited knowledge of the Anishinaabe languages not to mention Wikipedia protocol. I'm very glad you could be of service. 74.14.99.124 (talk) 19:21, 12 July 2008 (UTC)JR

Towards a crack at Good Article Status

A while ago this was being buffed up for a crack at Good Article Status, but I had no sources to help it. If we can get some for the few unsourced chunks of text I think GA is very doable. Casliber (talk · contribs) 13:18, 18 August 2009 (UTC)

Agree, I've got the Croom Helm Icterids, so when I get time I'll go through and source what I can, and remove obvious pov/OR

Further reading

Note: from 1995 and later.

Books

• Yasukawa, K., and W. A. Searcy. 1995. Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus). In The Birds of North America, No. 184 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, and The American Ornithologists’ Union, Washington, D.C.

Theses

• Armstrong MA. Ph.D. (2002). Defenses of red-winged blackbirds against brood parasites and predators: The acquisition of threat recognition and the dynamics of group defense. State University of New York at Binghamton, United States -- New York.

• Clotfelter ED. Ph.D. (1998). Impact of brown-headed cowbird brood parasitism on red-winged blackbirds and factors influencing patterns of parasitism. The University of Wisconsin - Madison, United States -- Wisconsin.

• Dufour KW. Ph.D. (1997). Symmetry, quality, and sexual success in male red-winged blackbirds. Carleton University (Canada), Canada.

• Flemming SP. Ph.D. (1996). Communal roosts and colonies of red-winged blackbirds function as flock formation centres. Queen's University at Kingston (Canada), Canada.

• Furey MA. M.S. (2003). Perch availability and vegetation structure in upland breeding habitat selection by red-winged blackbirds in a floodplain restoration site. University of Missouri - Columbia, United States -- Missouri.

• Glassey BC. Ph.D. (2000). Resource competition among nestling red-winged blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus). The University of Manitoba (Canada), Canada.

• Hintz JV. Ph.D. (1997). The hormonal regulation of premigratory fat deposition and winter fattening in red-winged blackbirds. The Union Institute, United States -- Ohio.

• Kren J. Ph.D. (1996). Proximate and ultimate mechanisms of red-winged blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) responses to interspecific brood parasitism. The University of Nebraska - Lincoln, United States -- Nebraska.

• Pribil S. Ph.D. (1996). Tests of hypotheses for the occurrence of polygyny in territorial birds using the red-winged blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus). University of Ottawa (Canada), Canada.

• Sawin RS. Ph.D. (2002). The influence of male breeding experience on reproductive success in red-winged blackbirds. North Dakota State University, United States -- North Dakota.

• Vierling KT. Ph.D. (1998). Source and sink population dynamics of red-winged blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) in Boulder County, Colorado. University of Colorado at Boulder, United States -- Colorado.

• Zimmerling JR. Ph.D. (2002). Comparative reproductive performance of red-winged blackbirds nesting on sewage lagoons and on natural wetlands in eastern Ontario. The University of Western Ontario (Canada), Canada.

Articles

• Albers PH, Hoffman DJ, Buscemi DM & Melancon MJ. (2003). Effects of the mosquito larvicide GB-1111 on red-winged blackbird embryos. Environmental Pollution. vol 125, no 3. p. 447-451.

• Bishop CA, Koster MD, Chek AA, Hussell DJT & Jock K. (1995). Chlorinated hydrocarbons and mercury in sediments, red-winged blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) and tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) from wetlands in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin. Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry. vol 14, no 3. p. 491-501.

• Blackwell BF & Dolbeer RA. (2001). Decline of the red-winged blackbird population in Ohio correlated to changes in agriculture (1965-1996). Journal of Wildlife Management. vol 65, no 4. p. 661-667.

• Brunet R, Caza N & Cyr A. (1996). Food intake and circadian rhythms of activity of red-winged blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus). A time-course study on the effects of alpha-chloralose and secobarbital. Biological Rhythm Research. vol 27, no 2. p. 227-240.

• Brunet R, Girard C & Cyr A. (1997). Comparative study of the signs of intoxication and changes in activity level of red-winged blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) exposed to dimethoate. Agriculture Ecosystems & Environment. vol 64, no 3. p. 201-209.

• Burford JE, Friedrich TJ & Yasukawa K. (1998). Response to playback of nestling begging in the red-winged blackbird, Agelaius phoeniceus. Animal Behaviour. vol 56, no 3. p. 555-561.

• Clark AB & Lee W-H. (1998). Red-winged blackbird females fail to increase feeding in response to begging call playbacks. Animal Behaviour. vol 56, no 3. p. 563-570.

• Clotfelter ED. (1997). Red-winged blackbird parental investment following brood parasitism by brown-headed cowbirds: Is parentage important?. Behavioral Ecology & Sociobiology. vol 41, no 3. p. 193-201.

• Clotfelter ED. (1998). What cues do brown-headed cowbirds use to locate red-winged blackbird host nests?. Animal Behaviour. vol 55, no 5. p. 1181-1189.

• Clotfelter ED & Yasuka K. (1999). Impact of brood parasitism by Brown-headed Cowbirds on Red-Winged Blackbird reproductive success. Condor. vol 101, no 1. p. 105-114.

• Clotfelter ED & Yasukawa K. (1999). The effect of aggregated nesting on Red-winged Blackbird nest success and brood parasitism by Brown-headed Cowbirds. Condor. vol 101, no 4. p. 729-736.

• Curtis PD, Rowland ED, Jensen PG & Hoffmann MP. (2004). Obstructive non-woven fiber barriers for reducing red-winged blackbird damage to sweet corn. Crop Protection. vol 23, no 9. p. 819-823.

• Edwards S, Messenger E & Yasukawa K. (1999). Do Red-winged Blackbird parents and their nestlings recognize each other?. Journal of Field Ornithology. vol 70, no 3. p. 297-309.

• Edwards SV & Dillon M. (2004). Hitchhiking and recombination in birds: evidence from Mhc-linked and unlinked loci in Red-winged Blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus). Genetical Research. vol 84, no 3. p. 175-192.

• Edwards SV, Gasper J & March M. (1998). Genomics and polymorphism of Agph-DAB1, an Mhc class II B gene in red-winged blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus). Molecular Biology & Evolution. vol 15, no 3. p. 236-250.

• Forbes S & Glassey B. (2000). Asymmetric sibling rivalry and nestling growth in red-winged blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus). Behavioral Ecology & Sociobiology. vol 48, no 6. p. 413-417.

• Forbes S, Glassey B, Thornton S & Earle L. (2001). The secondary adjustment of clutch size in red-winged blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus). Behavioral Ecology & Sociobiology. vol 50, no 1. p. 37-44.

• Garrido O & Kirkconnell A. (1996). Taxonomic status of the Cuban form of the Red-winged blackbird. Wilson Bulletin. vol 108, no 2. p. 372-373.

• Gasper JS, Shiina T, Inoko H & Edwards SV. (2001). Songbird genomics: Analysis of 45 kb upstream of a polymorphic Mhc class II gene in red-winged blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus). Genomics. vol 75, no 1-3. p. 26-34.

• Glahn JF & Avery ML. (1999). Use of Poisson distribution to estimate red-winged blackbird mortality from toxic bait application. Abstracts of Papers American Chemical Society. vol 218, no 1-2.

• Glassey B & Forbes S. (2003). Why brown-headed cowbirds do not influence red-winged blackbird parent behaviour. Animal Behaviour. vol 65, no 6. p. 1235-1246.

• Grant ND & Sealy SG. (2002). Selection of red-winged blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) hosts by the brown-headed cowbird (Molothrus ater). Bird Behavior. vol 15, no 1. p. 21-30.

• Gray EM. (1996). Female control of offspring paternity in a western population of red-winged blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus). Behavioral Ecology & Sociobiology. vol 38, no 4. p. 267-278.

• Hanowski JM, Niemi GJ, Lima AR & Regal RR. (1997). Do Mosquito control treatments of wetlands affect red-winged blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) growth, reproduction, or behavior?. Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry. vol 16, no 5. p. 1014-1019.

• Homan HJ, Linz GM, Engeman RA & Penry LB. (2004). Spring dispersal patterns of red-winged blackbirds, Agelaius phoeniceus, staging in eastern South Dakota. Canadian Field Naturalist. vol 118, no 2. p. 201-209.

• Hovekamp NR. (1996). Intersexual vocal communication in the red-winged blackbird. Journal of Field Ornithology. vol 67, no 3. p. 376-383.

• Knittle CE, Linz GM, Cummings JL, Davis JE, Jr., Johns BE & Besser JF. (1996). Spring migration patterns of male red-winged blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) from two migratory roosts in South Dakota and Minnesota. American Midland Naturalist. vol 136, no 1. p. 134-142.

• Lee H. (1999). Effects of organophosphate insecticide application to the conditioned taste aversion of red-winged blackbirds, Agelaius phoeniceus, Icteridae. Korean Journal of Biological Sciences. vol 3, no 1. p. 41-46.

• Lipar JL & Ketterson ED. (2000). Maternally derived yolk testosterone enhances the development of the hatching muscle in the red-winged blackbird Agelaius phoeniceus. Proceedings of the Royal Society Biological Sciences Series B. vol 267, no 1456. p. 2005-2010.

• Lipar JL, Ketterson ED & Nolan V. (1999). Intraclutch variation in testosterone content of red-winged blackbird eggs. Auk. vol 116, no 1. p. 231-235.

• Lopez A. (2001). Vocal response of male redwing blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) during simultaneous exposures to digitally remastered conspecific song playback and mounts. Ohio Journal of Science. vol 101, no 1.

• McGraw KJ, Wakamatsu K, Clark AB & Yasukawa K. (2004). Red-winged blackbirds Agelaius phoeniceus use carotenoid and melanin pigments to color their epaulets. Journal of Avian Biology. vol 35, no 6. p. 543-550.

• McMaster DG & Sealy SG. (1998). Red-winged blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) accept prematurely hatching brown-headed cowbirds (Molothrus ater). Bird Behavior. vol 12, no 3-4. p. 67-70.

• Olson JM. (2001). Ontogeny of catabolic and morphological properties of skeletal muscle of the red-winged blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus). Journal of Comparative Physiology B Biochemical Systemic & Environmental Physiology. vol 171, no 7. p. 527-542.

• Olson JM, Ferris DV, Jablonski MS & McNabb FMA. (1995). Thyroid development in relation to the development of endothermy in the red-winged blackbird. American Zoologist. vol 35, no 5.

• Olson JM, McNabb FMA, Jablonski MS & Ferris DV. (1999). Thyroid development in relation to the development of endothermy in the red-winged blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus). General & Comparative Endocrinology. vol 116, no 2. p. 204-212.

• Ozesmi U & Mitsch WJ. (1997). A spatial habitat model for the marsh-breeding red-winged blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus L.) in coastal Lake Erie wetlands. Ecological Modelling. vol 101, no 2-3. p. 139-152.

• Ozesmi U, Tan CO, Ozesmi SL & Robertson RJ. (2006). Generalizability of artificial neural network models in ecological applications: Predicting nest occurrence and breeding success of the red-winged blackbird Agelaius phoeniceus. Ecological Modelling. vol 195(1-2, Sp, p. SI) 94-104, MAY 115 2006.

• Patricelli GL, Dantzker MS & Bradbury JW. (2006). Differences in acoustic directionality in male Red-winged Blackbird vocalizations are related to function in communication. Journal of Ornithology. p. 1) 225-226, AUG 2006.

• Prather JW, Ortega CP & Cruz A. (1999). Aggressive responses of red-winged blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) toward brown-headed cowbirds (Molothrus ater) in areas of recent and long-term sympatry. Bird Behavior. vol 13, no 1. p. 1-7.

• Pribil S. (1998). Reproductive success is a misleading indicator of nest-site preferences in the Red-winged Blackbird. Canadian Journal of Zoology. vol 76, no 12. p. 2227-2234.

• Pribil S. (2000). Experimental evidence for the cost of polygyny in the red-winged blackbird Agelaius phoeniceus. Behaviour. vol 137, no 9. p. 1153-1173.

• Pribil S & Picman J. (1996). Polygyny in the red-winged blackbird: Do females prefer monogamy or polygamy?. Behavioral Ecology & Sociobiology. vol 38, no 3. p. 183-190.

• Reed WL, Turner AM & Sotherland PR. (1999). Consequences of egg-size variation in the Red-winged Blackbird. Auk. vol 116, no 2. p. 549-552.

• Reinert SE. (2006). Avian nesting response to tidal-marsh flooding: Literature review and a case for adaptation in the red-winged blackbird. Studies in Avian Biology. vol 32, p. 77-95.

• Sawin RS, Lutman MW, Linz GM & Bleier WJ. (2003). Predators on Red-winged Blackbird nests in eastern North Dakota. Journal of Field Ornithology. vol 74, no 3. p. 288-292.

• Searcy WA. (1996). Sound-pressure levels and song preferences in female red-winged blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) (Aves, Emberizidae). Ethology. vol 102, no 3. p. 187-196.

• Strausberger BM & Horning ME. (1998). Responses of nesting song sparrows (Melospiza melodia) and red-winged blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) to models of parasitic cowbirds and nonthreatening towhees. Bird Behavior. vol 12, no 3-4. p. 71-78.

• Sullivan H, Linz G, Clark L & Salman M. (2006). West Nile virus antibody prevalence in red-winged blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) from North Dakota, USA (2003-2004). Vector Borne And Zoonotic Diseases. vol 6, no 3. p. 305-309.

• Teti J, Borland M, Lopez A & McLaren G. (2001). Digital recording and analysis of female redwing blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) vocalizations collected in the field. Ohio Journal of Science. vol 101, no 1.

• Vierling KT. (1999). Habitat quality, population density and habitat-specific productivity of red-winged blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) in Boulder County, Colorado. American Midland Naturalist. vol 142, no 2. p. 401-409.

• Ward D, Lindholm AK & Smith JNM. (1996). Multiple parasitism of the red-winged blackbird: Further experimental evidence of evolutionary lag in a common host of the brown-headed cowbird. Auk. vol 113, no 2. p. 408-413.

• Weatherhead PJ. (2005). Long-term decline in a red-winged blackbird population: ecological causes and sexual selection consequences. Proceedings of the Royal Society Biological Sciences Series B. vol 272, no 1578. p. 2313-2317.

• Westneat DF. (1995). Paternity and paternal behaviour in the red-winged blackbird, Agelaius phoeniceus. Animal Behaviour. vol 49, no 1. p. 21-35.

• Westneat DF, Hasselquist D & Wingfield JC. (2003). Tests of association between the humoral immune response of red-winged blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) and male plumage, testosterone, or reproductive success. Behavioral Ecology & Sociobiology. vol 53, no 5. p. 315-323.

• Williams CL, Homan HJ, Johnston JJ & Linz GM. (2004). Microsatellite variation in red-winged blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus). Biochemical Genetics. vol 42, no 1-2. p. 35-41.

• Wohlfeld V. (1999). Red-Winged Blackbird. New Engl Rev-Middlebury Ser. vol 20, no 3. p. 149-149.

• Wolfe MF & Kendall RJ. (1998). Age-dependent toxicity of diazinon and terbufos in European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) and red-winged blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus). Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry. vol 17, no 7. p. 1300-1312.

Bicoloured Blackbird

Taxonomy: There are a number of subspecies, some of doubtful status, which are mostly quite similar in appearance, but the 'Bicolored Blackbird' A. p. gubernator of California and central Mexico is distinctive.

Description: Females of Tricolored, Bicolored, Red-shouldered and Red-winged Blackbirds can be difficult to identify in areas where more than one form occurs.

When talking the Bicoloured blackbird in the section "Description", is the article talking about the subspecies previously mentioned? The way the secend sentence is written may lead readers to think that Bicoloured and Red-winged Blackbirds are different species. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 186.124.174.205 (talk) 18:54, 22 December 2010 (UTC)

Thank you for your suggestion. When you believe an article needs improvement, please feel free to make those changes. Wikipedia is a wiki, so anyone can edit almost any article by simply following the edit this page link at the top. The Wikipedia community encourages you to be bold in updating pages. Don't worry too much about making honest mistakes—they're likely to be found and corrected quickly. If you're not sure how editing works, check out how to edit a page, or use the sandbox to try out your editing skills. New contributors are always welcome. You don't even need to log in (although there are many reasons why you might want to). Walter Siegmund (talk) 17:54, 23 December 2010 (UTC)

References

Description: The female is considerably smaller than the male, at 17–18 cm (7 in) length and 36 g (1.2 oz) weight, against his 22–24 cm (9.5 in) and 64 g (2.2 oz).^[1]

The reference in the text doesn't provide the information expressed in that sentence. Could anyone provide any other reference? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 186.124.174.205 (talk) 00:21, 24 December 2010 (UTC)

References

1. Gough, Gregory (2003). "Agelaius phoeniceus". USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center. Retrieved 2008-06-29.

mass deaths

It is an important issue related to this species. Why shouldn't it be included in this article? --Jehan60188 (talk) —Preceding undated comment added 23:03, 5 January 2011 (UTC).

Nevermind, it has more pertinence in other areas of Wikipedia --Jehan60188 (talk) 23:09, 5 January 2011 (UTC)

It certainly should be included but will have to wait for reliable sources analysing the issue. The section was a bit news like. I understand that the section was removed as being not relevant to this species. That may be incorrect, as far as I could see in news media images, it did mainly involve this species. Shyamal (talk) 05:29, 6 January 2011 (UTC)

It was a mix of red-winged blackbirds and starlings, it wasn't at all mysterious, and it's not relevant to either species article because it has nothing to do with the purpose of such articles, which is to describe the species. — Gavia immer (talk) 22:49, 6 January 2011 (UTC)

Aggressivity among females

Is it possible that a male's mates are aggressive among them? I'm not sure, but I think I've read something about it, and it may be an important behavioural characteristic. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 200.5.120.26 (talk) 03:42, 31 January 2011 (UTC)

Perched display photo

The "perched Display" photo appears to me to show a Tricolored Blackbird, not a Red-winged... The displays are similar...

Relationship with Humans

I'm not sure why you'd want to include a pesticide use reference, particularly because it suggests an illegal use of a pesticide. While parathion is only available in China, someone could be encouraged to solve a bird problem by poisoning food with some other toxin. There may be registered avicides in the U.S., but they are for extraordinary situations where public health is a concern.

Relationship with Humans

I'm not sure why you'd want to include a pesticide use reference, particularly because it suggests an illegal use of a pesticide. While parathion is only available in China, someone could be encouraged to solve a bird problem by poisoning food with some other toxin. There may be registered avicides in the U.S., but they are for extraordinary situations where public health is a concern. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Jegenrieder (talk • contribs) 01:11, 28 May 2012 (UTC)

Flying Photos

I saw this bird outside, didn't know what it was at the time but thought it was cool so I snapped some pics. If you want to use them in the article feel free (by-nc-sa).

http://ancyker.net/images/photos/IMG_0510.JPG http://ancyker.net/images/photos/IMG_0514.JPG http://ancyker.net/images/photos/IMG_0515.JPG

Ancyker (talk) 17:25, 16 June 2012 (UTC)

Nest predation

I’ve read in this article that nest predators include the marsh wren. Although I’ve seen in several papers that the marsh wren is listed as a common nest predator in red-winged blackbirds’ nests, that probably doesn’t mean that they feed on their eggs and/or chicks. In fact, marsh wrens eat mainly insects, spiders and snails. Couldn’t it be that the wrens simply steal nesting materials from red-winged blackbirds’ nests to build theirs? --Pablo.ea.92 (talk) 16:51, 24 February 2013 (UTC)

A. p. gubernator?

The picture in the section about the bird's taxonomy can't be of a A. p. gubernator if it was taken in California. According to the Clements checklist, gubernator lives at the Mexican Plateau. However, mailliardorum, californicus, aciculatus and neutralis, all of which lack the yellow strip on the wing as in gubernator, do live in California. The picture must be of an individual belonging to one of those four subspecies. --Pablo.ea.92 (talk) 17:47, 1 February 2014 (UTC)

Breeding season

a few mentions of "breeding season" but no specific discussion on when that is. when is it?104.129.196.195 (talk) 18:08, 12 June 2017 (UTC)

Taxonomic inconsistency

This article says that the genus has 11 species, but the genus article says 5. (Is this because the South American species have recently been removed from the genus - I've found statements that the genus is/was polyphyletic?)

Lavateraguy (talk) 10:50, 25 January 2018 (UTC)

What's a sergeant thrush?

Many (most?) places in this article this bird is referred to as a "sergeant thrush". Is this a common name for the bird? If so why isn't there text at the beginning of the article stating this? The strange thing, to me at least, is that an Internet search doesn't find this name anywhere except in this article -- why is that? -- Dough34 (talk) 02:48, 14 October 2020 (UTC)

Very complicated and confusing article

This article is a hot mess. Some bits of natural history mixed in with tons of arcane anecdotes of interest only to academic ornithologists; a bunch of old reports about the "damage" they do to crops; and a very long, disturbing section focused on the most efficacious means to kill them. Please start this article again from scratch. It's terrible and not useful to most people at this point. 2600:6C67:917F:FD9C:B9AD:5693:1167:BE53 (talk) 18:08, 1 November 2020 (UTC)

This big article might be the worst bird article has.

This article is way too confusing.