When it comes to birding and bird identification, I seem to learn something new every day. It’s one of the things I enjoy most about birding, and it keeps me humble.
I saw this beautiful bird at Kensington Metropark, perched on the boardwalk railing as I was searching for the elusive Virgina Rail in the mass of cattails.
At the time I took the photo, I thought it was a female Red-winged Blackbird.
But I was incorrect. As I learned when I took a closer look at the markings.
After I spent time researching for differences between juvenile and female Red-winged Blackbirds and found several useful references., I came up with the identification of a juvenile male Red-winged Blackbird.
The distinguishing features included:
- Dark streaky brown plumage
- Sharp pointed bill
- Painted eyebrow (which initially led me to believe it was a female)
- Light orange/buff patch above shoulder, the beginnings of the male red and yellow epaulet on the shoulder
My thanks to these references (I’m happy to see more people publishing their helpful bird identification resources):
- Juvenile Red-winged Blackbirds (Identification Guide with Pictures)
- Female Red-Winged Blackbirds Can Be Tough to Identify
- Meet the Red-Winged Blackbird
and gratitude to a fellow online birder who confirmed my identification.
