🚀 go-pugleaf

I thought that redwinged blackbirds were notoriously territorial. Back
in '68 or so, when I worked at Rock Island Arsenal, which is on an
island in the Mississippi, there was a RWBB that had the end of the
island just outside of the main gate as his territory. Everytime someone
walked out there, they were divebombed. Happened to me every day during
nesting season. Since the vast majority of people there drove, they
never knew about it. It was one of the advantages of walking... (plus
some of the greatest lilac bushes I've ever seen anywhere lined that
road...)

Regards, Will

> >>       ... 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

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)