Today at the aptly named Redwing Marsh along Lake Wingra I stopped to check out the female red-winged blackbirds that I was seeing for the first time this year. The females are a similar shape and size to the males, but their colors are completely different. They are all brown on the back with brown and white speckles in front. I watched a female eating old cattails for a few minutes and producing her own high-pitched, shrill chattering noises as she fed. Female redwings are one of the only female songbirds that sing, and according to Robert W. Nero in his classic "Redwings," they do so to claim territory from other females. And it sounds like they are no slouches when it comes to trying to impress the opposite sex. Nero writes, "the male seems to be stimulated by the appearance of the female carrying nesting material, particularly when she carries it for a greater distance and more openly than is ordinary or necessary." Meanwhile, several males appeared to be on their territory now, and about twice per minute they hunch over, spread their red epaulets and scream out that "conk-a-ree" noise that you might be hearing all over town now. The song-spread display serves as both a warning to younger males to please stay away and an invitation to newly arrived females to please come closer. While some may complain of their numbers and noise, I'm starting to like these birds a lot. They are one of the most active and interesting species we have, fun to watch, and they remind me of old summer days fishing for catfish in Illinois. Go and see the displays at your local marsh and watch for chasing and nestbuilding to begin soon.
No comments:
Post a Comment