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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!bonnie!akgua!whuxlm!spuxll!kitc!les
From: les@kitc.UUCP (Les Johnson)
Newsgroups: net.rec.birds
Subject: Re: Territorial redwinged blackbirds
Message-ID: <183@kitc.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 2-Sep-85 09:08:23 EDT
Article-I.D.: kitc.183
Posted: Mon Sep  2 09:08:23 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 4-Sep-85 07:21:49 EDT
References: <2051CJC@psuvm> <287@ihlpl.UUCP>
Reply-To: les@kitc.UUCP (Les Johnson)
Organization: AT&T-IS Labs, So. Plainfield NJ
Lines: 39
Summary: 

In article <287@ihlpl.UUCP> res@ihlpl.UUCP (Rich Strebendt @ AT&T Information Systems - Indian Hill West; formerly) writes:
>> >>       ... Are redwing blackbirds
>> >>       as territorial as mockingbirds? 
>> >
>> >Hm, don't know about the territoriality aspect, but I once spent ten
>> >minutes watching a red-winged blackbird chase a crow around and around.
>> >Maybe they just don't like big birds!
>>      
>>   Years ago when we lived on a farm there was a redwinged blackbird that
>>   dive-attacked ME whenever I walked down the road past HIS swamp. They
>>   may not all be territorial, but that one sure was.
>
>The answer marked "> >" is the closest -- big birds eat the eggs from
>little birds' nests.  The blackbirds are not territorial -- they are
>just trying to drive away anything big enough to be a threat to their
>nests.  
>
>This year we had a redwing blackbird nest in a bush on the edge of our
>property.  The male was very active and noisy any time we got within
>about 20 feet of the nest.
>
>					Rich Strebendt
>					...!ihnp4!iwsl6!res


     Red-wings are territorial and will chase other birds, including 
other red-wings, from their their territories. The color red will elicit
an "aggressive response" from a male red-wing. If the male bird enters
another red-wing's territory, he will re-arrange his wing feathers 
so the red part will be covered. Red-wings return to the same nesting
place year after year. I have read that one male will nest with three
or four females simultaneously. I have never observed more than one 
female in a male's territory, however.
     The "aggressive response" includes a display of the red on the 
wing and a characteristic series of calls. If the latter are 
recorded and played back to the male red-wing, it will make him 
think another male is in his territory and cause him to display.

	Joan Detyna (posted by Les Johnson @ ...!ihnp4!kitc!les)