I know noble accents And lucid, inescapable rhythms; But I know, too, That the blackbird is involved In what I know.

Quotation by Wallace Stevens

Tricolored Blackbird (male): Have you seen this bird?

The Tricolored Blackbird

The Tricolored or Tricoloured Blackbird, Agelaius tricolor, is a passerine bird of the family Icteridae.

The Tricolored Blackbird range is limited to the coastal areas of the Pacific coast of North America, from Northern California in the U.S. to upper Baja California in Mexico.

Despite the similar names, this bird is not related to the Old World Common Blackbird, which is a thrush (Turdidae).

Identification Tips:
• Length: 7.5 inches
• Sharply-pointed bill
• Frequents marshy habitats in summer, open habitats at other times of year
• Often flocks with other species of blackbirds

Adult male:
• Bright red patch on wings bordered by white
• Black plumage
• Immature male similar to female but has red shoulder

Adult female:
• Pale supercilium
• Heavily streaked breast
• Belly dark
• Upperparts black and white
• Sometimes has yellow tinge to face and throat
• Immature female similar to adult female

Similar species:

The male Red-winged Blackbird can be told from the male Tricolored Blackbird by its yellowish, not white, border to the red shoulder patch. Females are quite similar but Tricoloreds typically have darker bellies. Other species of blackbirds lack the red shoulder patch of the male and the streaked underparts of the female.

In 2006 the Tricolored Blackbird was classified as Endangered by BirdLife International. Like the extinct Passenger Pigeon, the colonial nature of the Tricolored Blackbird makes it particularly vulnerable to extinction.

Native grasslands once used for nesting and feeding have been lost to urban and agricultural development. Birds adapting to nesting in agricultural fields have been disturbed by harvesting during the breeding season.