Tri-coloured blackbird? Banff, Alberta, June (1 Viewer)

alanc

Just an earthbound misfit

• Feb 24, 2009

• #1

Took this shot of a black bird at Vermillion Lakes, Banff last June.
It looks very much like a tri-coloured blackbird as illustrated in my Smithsonian guide. However, according to that same guide, they dont occur in that region. Could it be a juvenile red-winged or have the tricoloured moved further north? help appreciated

 

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mrmanning

Southern Ontario Birder

• Feb 24, 2009

• #2

I believe Tri-Coloured BB's are endangered, and normally found on the Pacific Coast, mainly in California and Mexico. They might occur in Oregon and Washington too, but I don't know for sure.
Banff seems out of their range.
They are quite gregarious so chances are there would have been others nearby. Did you happen to see others?

Your picture looks like a male red winged BB to me, and Banff is well within their summer range as well. I'd like to hear others thoughts on the matter.

 

phil baber

Clipped Wing

• Feb 24, 2009

• #3

I also believe this to be a male Red-Winged Blackbird.

 

F

fugl

Well-known member

• Feb 24, 2009

• #4

My guess would be Red-winged Blackbird with abnormally colored median coverts. The orange-red of the shoulder patch looks right to me for RWB as does the bill, though the angle makes the latter hard to judge. However, I haven't seen a Tricolored Blackbird for years & am willing to be corrected by the more knowledgible about any of this

 

Last edited: Feb 25, 2009

OK_Scissortail

Oklahoma State Bird

• Feb 24, 2009

• #5

If like this one I have tons of these in my yard everyday all day. I just figured a regular Red Winged Blackbird. Is this one different from the poster's blackbird? Is it a different type of blackbird say tri colored then the regular blackbird? Getting confused. They don't seem to be endangered here with so many, at least in Oklahoma.

 

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Peter C.

...just zis guy, you know?

• Feb 24, 2009

• #6

alanc said:

Took this shot of a black bird at Vermillion Lakes, Banff last June.
It looks very much like a tri-coloured blackbird as illustrated in my Smithsonian guide. However, according to that same guide, they dont occur in that region. Could it be a juvenile red-winged or have the tricoloured moved further north? help appreciated

Click to expand...

I have never seen a Tri-colored Blackbird, but I understand that they're quite white in the median wing coverts. You can see a bit of (admittedly faded) colour toward the bases of the coverts in this bird. Looks fine for male Red-winged for me - and certainly not a juvenile! With the body plumage and epaulet that unmarked, I expect it is an "after second-year" bird, and those coverts are just a bit faded with time (since the previous fall).

Cheers,
Peter C.

 

OK_Scissortail

Oklahoma State Bird

• Feb 24, 2009

• #7

I wonder if the sunlight is making the yellow look more white in the poster's photo. The national geographic field guide shows the Tri colored on the west coast for Winter.

 

Gentoo

Guest

• Feb 25, 2009

• #8

Tricolored Blackbirds have a whiter border than this and the red is also a little darker. Red-Winged Blackbird I'm afraid.

 

alanc

Just an earthbound misfit

• Feb 25, 2009

• #9

Thanks everyone. Red wing it is then.

 

Aves sunt optimae

Active member

• Feb 26, 2009

• #10

My friend took pictures that looked exactly like your blackbird in a marsh area in Calgary city, even with the more whitish-looking coverts. He sent them to me asking what it was (he's not a birder) and I said Red winged in the end, but I was definately confused for a moment, after all, all of the BB's I had seen prior had the normal yellow coverts.

Kind of odd, I think.

 

alanc

Just an earthbound misfit

• Feb 26, 2009

• #11

yes, there were RW in the area with the normal yellow and red flashed on the wings - this was the only one i saw with the white flashes
alan

 

Gentoo

Guest

• Feb 27, 2009

• #12

Red-Wings can have white borders at times (those in central California including the San Francisco Bay Area have no border). However compared to Tricolored Blackbirds, the red is not as dark as it is in Tricolored's. The bill is not as sharply pointed and Red-Wings are less glassy.