red-winged blackbird
Quick Summary
The red-winged blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) is a North American bird belonging to the family Icteridae. Adult males are black with distinctive bright scarlet shoulder patches, bordered by yellow or buff. This species is found from Canada down to the West Indies and Central America.12
Red-winged blackbirds are known for their breeding behavior, where the male defends a territory. While they forage within this defended area, some individuals also gather food outside it. The term "blackbird" can also refer to an Old World thrush (Turdus merula), which is different from the New World icterids.32
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animal social behaviorSocial interactions involving sexSome examples include the red-winged blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) and house wren (Troglodytes aedon) in North America and the great reed warbler (Acrocephalus arundinaceus) in Europe. In a few polygamous species, however, females mate with and accept care from multiple partners, a phenomenon referred to as polyandry, examples of which…
Read MoreSome examples include the red-winged blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) and house wren (Troglodytes aedon) in North America and the great reed warbler (Acrocephalus arundinaceus) in Europe. In a few polygamous species, however, females mate with and accept care from multiple partners, a phenomenon referred to as polyandry, examples of which…
Read More- animal social behaviorSocial interactions involving sex
…simultaneously polygamous species (such as red-winged blackbirds) and simultaneously polyandrous species (such as the jacanas) also occur. Red-winged blackbird males often have two or more females breeding on their territories, whereas jacana females are bigger than males and defend large territories encompassing the smaller territories of their male mates. The…
Read More…simultaneously polygamous species (such as red-winged blackbirds) and simultaneously polyandrous species (such as the jacanas) also occur. Red-winged blackbird males often have two or more females breeding on their territories, whereas jacana females are bigger than males and defend large territories encompassing the smaller territories of their male mates. The…
Read More - animal social behaviorSocial interactions involving sex
In red-winged blackbirds, the females not only benefit through increased offspring performance, but they are allowed access to food on the extra-pair male’s territory. In these cases, as both the females and their social mates feed nestlings, the male-female conflict appears to have been resolved in…
Read MoreIn red-winged blackbirds, the females not only benefit through increased offspring performance, but they are allowed access to food on the extra-pair male’s territory. In these cases, as both the females and their social mates feed nestlings, the male-female conflict appears to have been resolved in…
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