Red-winged blackbird

Red-winged blackbird
Scientific classification
Kingdom Information
Domain	Eukaryota
Kingdom	Animalia
Subkingdom	Bilateria
Branch	Deuterostomia
Phylum Information
Phylum	Chordata
Sub-phylum	Vertebrata
Infraphylum	Gnathostomata
Class Information
Superclass	Tetrapoda
Class	Aves
Sub-class	Neornithes
Infra-class	Neoaves
Order Information
Superorder	Passerimorphae
Order	Passeriformes
Sub-order	Passeri
Family Information
Family	Icteridae
Genus Information
Genus	Agelaius
Species Information
Species	A. phoeniceus
Population statistics
Population	210,000,000+ (2009)
Conservation status	Least concern

The red-winged blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) is a species of passerine bird of the family Icteridae, and found throughout the marshlands of much of North America.

Description

The red-winged Blackbird is 7-9 inches in length, and has a wingspan between 12-16 inches. The male is a glossy-black in color, and can be mistaken for a small crow but for the red epaulets on their wings. When at rest the red on the folded wing is partially concealed; in flight or in courtship displays with the wings partially-spread open, the red coloration covers nearly half of wing area above the secondaries. Yellow also stands out as a border on the rearward edge between the red and the black. Female birds have the look of a large sparrow; predominately brown in color, their plumage is tinged with dark streaks; instead of a red epaulet there is a patch of a richer brown.

Name

The Latin name for the bird is based on two specific characteristics about the bird itself. The first, Agelaius refers to the fact that these birds are often seen in large flocks; in fact, some studies have determined they have the largest overall number of any living North American bird. The species name, phoeniceus, refers to the deep red color on their wings.

In addition to English, various Native American tribes have also given them names which refer to the red color. The Ojibwa language ("memiskondinimaanganeshiinh"), the Odawa language ("memeskoniinisi" or "memiskonigwiigaans") of Ontario and Michigan, and the Lakota language ("wabloša") of the Great Plains specifically identify this bird by the red wing patch. Other tribes have taken a differing approach; the Oji-Cree language of northern Ontario and the Ojibwa language of northwestern Ontario and Manitoba call it a "jachakanoob" and a "jachakanoo" respectively, in essence identifying it as a type of junco.