In much of North and Central America, Red-winged blackbirds are one of our most familiar and recognizable birds, because of their striking plumage.

Red-winged blackbirds eat insects, including beetles, caterpillars, grasshoppers, and spiders. Right now all the birds are feasting on the cicadas that emerged this week. The majority on their diet is seeds but they also eat some berries and small fruits.They occasionally stop by my feeders, this one was enjoying a bite of grape jelly.

Red-winged blackbirds often spend breeding season in marshes and wetlands and I see many of them down along the creek in my yard. Even from a distance their red wing patches show.

At the right time of year — breeding and nesting season — these birds will chase away anything that dares to get too close, and that includes humans. This one is aggressively displaying warning signs. My grandson still has a scar on top of his head from when one dive bombed him when he went too close to where a nest was located.

The red shoulder patches of the male are hidden under body feathers much of the time.
Females are not at all dramatic and resemble house sparrows, but they do have the same pointy beak.

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