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Icterids (/ ˈ ɪ k t ər ɪ d /) or New World blackbirds make up a family, the Icteridae (/ ɪ k ˈ t ɛr ɪ d i /), of small to medium-sized, often colorful, New World passerine birds. The family contains 108 species and is divided into 30 genera. Most species have black as a predominant plumage color, often enlivened by yellow, orange, or red.
The red-winged blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) is a passerine bird of the family Icteridae found in most of North America and much of Central America. It breeds from Alaska and Newfoundland south to Florida, the Gulf of Mexico, Mexico, and Guatemala, with isolated populations in western El Salvador, northwestern Honduras, and northwestern Costa Rica.
The female is brownish-grey with slight hints of the male's iridescence. The female's eye is dark brown, while the male's is bright yellow. Overall, they resemble the eastern member of the same genus, the rusty blackbird; Brewer's blackbird, however, has a shorter bill and the male's head is iridescent purple. [2]
The common name is taken from the male bird's distinctive white stripes underneath their red shoulder patches, or "epaulets", which are visible when the bird is flying or displaying. Despite the similar names, this bird is not related to the Old World common blackbird , which is a thrush ( Turdidae ).
Jamaican blackbird: Nesopsar nigerrimus (Osburn, 1859) 65 Yellow-shouldered blackbird: Agelaius xanthomus (Sclater, PL, 1862) 66 Tawny-shouldered blackbird: Agelaius humeralis (Vigors, 1827) 67 Tricolored blackbird: Agelaius tricolor (Audubon, 1837) 68 Red-winged blackbird: Agelaius phoeniceus (Linnaeus, 1766) 69 Red-shouldered blackbird ...
Male Female. The male unicolored blackbird is befitting of its name, with entirely glossy black plumage and dark eyes. However, the species exhibits sexual dimorphism; the female is streaked brown and black with a yellow belly streaked with brown. The face has a dark mask and the wings are reddish-brown edged with black.
Flocks of black birds have been spotted in backyards and parks over the past few weeks in the Triangle, causing many of us to do a double take when we leave our homes or pass a large, grassy field ...
Adults of both sexes are described by their name. Juveniles have entirely black plumage; orange-red feathers first appear on their breast and throat, later spreading to the neck, head, and thighs. The song is given as "loud, clear, and melodic, a ringing 'cleer-cleer-clur, clulululu'."