All birds Troupials and Allies
Red-winged Blackbird
Agelaius phoeniceus
Here most of the year.
Recorded by Chris Harrison. CC BY-NC-SA 3.0, via xeno-canto, trimmed and volume evened out.
Look for
- Males are all black with a red patch on each shoulder.
- The red patch has a yellow edge. A male can tuck his patches under his feathers, then show them off when he sings.
- Females are streaky brown with a pale stripe over each eye. They can look like a sparrow.
A little about it
You can see red-winged blackbirds here in every month. They're easiest to find from February to April. From August to November there are far fewer.
In spring, a male sits on top of a tall plant. He fluffs up, spreads his tail, lifts his red patches, and sings "o-ka-leeee!"
Most of what they eat is seeds, including grain left in farm fields. They eat bugs too, mostly in summer. They feed on the ground or just above it, often in flocks with other blackbirds and starlings.
The female builds the nest. It's a cup of grass and reeds tied to cattails or other plants, often near water. She lays 3 or 4 pale blue-green eggs with dark marks. The young leave the nest 11 to 14 days after they hatch.
Fun fact
Red-winged blackbirds are brave. Several of them will team up and attack a hawk or a crow that flies over their nests.
When it's here
- January: here
- February: here
- March: here
- April: here
- May: here
- June: here
- July: here
- August: here
- September: here
- October: here
- November: here
- December: here
Taller bars mean more sightings. Most often seen in March.
How big
7 to 9 inches. A little smaller than a robin.
Where to look
Marshes with cattails, and wet ditches. They feed in farm fields too, and in winter they come to yards and feeders in town.
People have spotted it at Lake Overholser, Myriad Botanical Gardens, Mitch Park.
Could it be something else?
Common Grackle
Its tail is long and shaped like the rudder that steers a boat. A male red-wing has a shorter tail and red shoulder patches.
Brewer's Blackbird
A male Brewer's has yellow eyes. A female Brewer's is plain brown all over, with no streaks. Female red-wings are very streaky.
More photos
Where these facts come from
- Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation field guide
- Audubon Guide to North American Birds
- When it's here: Sightings shared on iNaturalist in the 8 counties, all years.