Bird: Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) 紅翅黑鸝

I took another path that I had never walked through Santa Fe Dam before on March 31, 2021. I saw this Red-winged blackbird at the other end of the dam. I wanted to move to its side to take pictures but it got disturbed and flew away. I did not know that the Red-winged Blackbird is the most abundant living land bird in North America. This is the first time that I notice it. The red-winged blackbird is sexually dimorphic; the male is all black with a red shoulder and yellow wing bar, while the female is a nondescript dark brown. The red-winged blackbird is territorial, polygynous, gregarious and a short-distance migratory bird. The red-winged blackbird is omnivorous. Seeds and insects make up the bulk of the red-winged blackbird’s diet.
2021.03.31我走以前從未走過Santa Fe Dam的另一道小徑,在壩的另一頭看到了這隻紅翅黑鸝。原想繞到旁邊去照它的側面,可惜驚動了它,我只好眼睜睜地看它飛走了。我不知道紅翅黑鸝是北美最多的陸地鳥類。這是我第一次注意到它。紅翅黑鸝是兩性異形的。雄鳥全是黑色,有一個紅色的肩膀和黃色的覆翼羽,而雌鳥則是平淡無奇的深棕色。紅翅黑鸝是有領地意識,一夫多妻,群居和短距離遷徙的候鳥。紅翅黑鸝是雜食性的鳥類。它主要以種子和昆蟲為食。

Photo Date: 2021.03.31 Location: Santa Fe Dam
Photo Date: 2021.06.12 Location: New York

Notes 筆記

  • Claims have been made that Red-winged Blackbird is the most abundant living land bird in North America. It also ranks among the best-studied wild bird species in the world.
  • The genus name is Latin derived from Ancient Greek, agelaios, meaning “belonging to a flock”. The specific epithet, phoeniceus, is from the Latin word meaning “deep red”.
  • The red-winged blackbird is sexually dimorphic; the male is all black with a red shoulder and yellow wing bar, while the female is a nondescript dark brown.
  • The red-winged blackbird is widely spread throughout North America, except in the arid desert, high mountain ranges, and arctic or dense afforestation regions.
  • The red-winged blackbird inhabits open grassy areas. It generally prefers wetlands, and inhabits both freshwater and saltwater marshes, particularly if cattail is present. It is also found in dry upland areas.
  • The red-winged blackbird is territorial, polygynous, gregarious and a short-distance migratory bird.
  • The red-winged blackbird is omnivorous. Seeds and insects make up the bulk of the red-winged blackbird’s diet.
  • The red-winged blackbird nests in loose colonies. The nest is built in cattails, rushes, grasses, sedge, or in alder or willow bushes. The nest is constructed entirely by the female.
  • Red-winged blackbirds are polygynous, with territorial males defending up to 10 females. However, females frequently copulate with males other than their social mate and often lay clutches of mixed paternity. Pairs raise two or three clutches per season, in a new nest for each clutch.
  • Red-winged blackbirds that breed in the northern part of their range, i.e., Canada and border states in the United States, migrate south for the winter. However, populations near the Pacific and Gulf coasts of North America and those of Middle America are year-round resident.
  • 有人聲稱,紅翅黑鸝是北美最多的陸地鳥類。 它也是世界上研究最多的野生鳥類之一。
  • 屬名是拉丁語,源自古希臘語agelaios,意思是“鳥群”。 種小名“ phoeniceus”來自拉丁語,意思是“深紅色”。
  • 紅翅黑鸝是兩性異形的。雄鳥全是黑色,有一個紅色的肩膀和黃色的覆翼羽,而雌鳥則是平淡無奇的深棕色。
  • 除了在乾旱的沙漠,高山山脈和北極或茂密的造林地區之外,紅翼黑鳥廣泛分佈於整個北美。
  • 紅翅黑鸝棲息在開闊的草地上。它通常比較喜歡濕地,並且棲息在淡水和鹹水沼澤中,特別是在有香蒲的地方。在乾燥的旱地地區也可看到它。
  • 紅翅黑鸝是有領地意識,一夫多妻,群居和短距離遷徙的候鳥。
  • 紅翅黑鸝是雜食性的鳥類。它主要以種子和昆蟲為食。
  • 紅翅黑鸝在不固定的群裡築巢。巢建在香蒲,草叢,草,莎草,赤楊木或柳樹的灌木叢中。巢完全是由雌鳥興建築成。
  • 紅翅黑鸝是一夫多妻制,有領地意識的雄鳥最多守衛十隻雌鳥。但是雌鳥經常與不同的雄鳥交往,而不是與它自己的社交伴侶交往,並且常常會產生混雜的父子關係。每對鳥每季會有兩三窩蛋,每一窩蛋都會有新的巢穴。
  • 在加拿大和美國的邊境州北部繁殖的紅翅黑鸝會往南過冬。但是北美和中美洲的太平洋和墨西哥灣沿岸附近的紅翅黑鸝則是常年居住的留鳥。

References 參考資料

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