"Virtually all of North America's raptors take adult or young Red-winged Blackbirds, even Barn owls, which usually only take small mammals, and Northern Saw-whet owls, which are scarcely larger than a male Red-winged. Accipiter hawks are among their most prolific predators and, locally, they are one of the preferred prey species of Short-tailed hawks. Crows, ravens, magpies and herons are occasionally predators of blackbird nests. Additional predators of blackbirds of all ages and their eggs include raccoons, mink, foxes and snakes, especially the rat snake. Marsh Wrens destroy the eggs, at least sometimes drinking from them, and peck the nestlings to death. The Red-winged Blackbird aggressively defends its territory from other animals. It will attack much larger birds. Males have been known to swoop at humans who encroach upon their nesting territory during breeding season."
Red-Winged Blackbird
Agelaius Phoeniceus
Size: 8 ½” (22 cm)
Male: Jet black bird with red and yellow shoulder patches on upper wings; pointed black bill.
Female: Heavily streaked brown bird with a pointed brown bill and white eyebrows.
Juvenile: Same as female.
Nest: Cup; female builds; 2-3 broods per year.
Eggs: 3-4; bluish green with brown markings.
Incubation: 10-12 days; female incubates.
Fledging: 11-14 days; female and male feed young.
Migration: Complete, to southern states, Mexico , and Central America .
Food: Seeds, insects; will come to seed feeders.
Compare: Slightly larger than the male brown-headed Cowbird, but is less iridescent and lacks Cowbird’s brown head. Differs from all blackbirds due to the red and yellow patches on its wings.
Pg 8 of Birds of Michigan Field Guide, by Stan Tekiela. Adventure Publications, Inc. Cambridge , Minnesota
Size and shape- A stocky, broad-shouldered blackbird with a slender, conical bill and a medium-length tail. Red-winged Blackbirds often show a hump-backed silhouette while perched; males often sit with tail slightly flared.
Behavior- Male Red-winged Blackbirds do everything they can to get noticed, sitting on high perches and belting out their conk-la-ree! song all day long. Females stay lower, skulking through vegetation for food and quietly weaving together their remarkable nests. In winter Red-winged Blackbirds gather in huge flocks to eat grains with other blackbird species and starlings.
Flock- Red-winged Blackbirds roost in flocks in all months of the year. In summer small numbers roost in the wetlands where the birds breed. Winter flocks can be congregations of several million birds, including other blackbird species and starlings. Each morning the roosts spread out, traveling as far as 50 miles to feed, then re-forming at night.
Other facts- Different populations and subspecies of Red-winged Blackbirds vary markedly in size and proportions. An experiment was conducted that moved nestlings between populations and found that the chicks grew up to resemble their foster parents. This study indicated that much of the difference seen between populations is the result of different environments rather than different genetic makeup’s. Male Red-winged Blackbirds fiercely defend their territories during the breeding season, spending more than a quarter of daylight hours in territory defense. He chases other males out of the territory and attacks nest predators, sometimes going after much larger animals, including horses and people.