Red-winged blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) are a common sight around wetlands. In the summer, you might see one or two near a small retention pond in your neighborhood. Once you know their song, you can’t miss them.
This winter, I have had three occasions where an entire flock of red-winged blackbirds was hanging out on the trails. My first encounter was on the Shiloh Greenway, then the American Tobacco Trail, and this week was on the Indian Creek Greenway. Wow! When they are together, they are very loud!
This picture is from the Indian Creek Greenway. They were up in the trees and feeding on the ground. A crow kept buzzing by the group, trying to disrupt them. I tried to get a picture of many birds in flight, to show the beautiful red and yellow shoulder stripes of the males. The females are brown and do not have the colorful stripes.
You can read more about red-winged blackbirds on the All About Birds website.