When red-winged blackbirds arrive for the winter, people tend to notice. There’s the sheer numbers, for starters—these adaptable avians often travel in huge, swirling flocks sometimes numbering up to a million birds (no, really). Then there’s all the noise they make, and the unmissable glossy black feathers of the males, accentuated by brilliant patches of red and orange on the shoulders. On top of all of that, they’re voracious eaters known to clean out a feeder.
Though the South does have its own resident red-winged blackbirds that stick around all year, the winter months see a lot of extra birds migrating down from Canada and the northern United States, sometimes combining with other blackbirds and starlings in flocks. While some red-winged blackbirds go on to Mexico, many winter right here in the South, visiting states like Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama, and Florida in droves. Come March they’ll start heading back up north, leaving feeders and treetops considerably quieter until next year.
Here are a few things you might not have known about this common—and delightful—backyard visitor.
Those shoulder patches are more than just pretty. …