Wild Child: Who do I hear singing loudly?

Have you noticed a loud trilling song coming from the tops of trees? The male Red Winged Black birds are singing their bold songs for everyone to hear.

Like their name suggested these mid-sized black birds have a red marking on the shoulder of their wings making them easy to spot. Once you see one, listen for its song. Once you can recognize this particular bird song you will find you can hear it almost everywhere you go.

Size/Shape

These birds are medium sized, about the size of a robin, with a pointy cone shaped beak.

Colour

The male birds are black with red and yellow shoulder blazes. The females are brown streaked, with a pale breast and a light eyebrow.

Behaviour

The males sing boldly all day long, but the females tend to forage among the grasses out of sight.

Habitat

These birds like to be near water, especially wetlands or marshy areas.

More information

If you would like to learn more The Cornell Lab of Ornithology has as great set of pages with interesting facts and information about this easy to spot and hear species of bird. You can also listen to recordings of their songs.

Written by Tandy Morton, Wild Child Outdoor Playgroup Facilitator