Birdland
The Bold, Musical Red-Winged Blackbird
It’s spring, and that means, happily, the return of the red-winged blackbird. While the females have more of a streaky-brown look of a sparrow, the male red-winged blackbirds have spectacular red shoulder patches. As Audubon notes, a male will defend his territory and attract a mate by perching on a high stalk. With his feathers fluffed out and red patches prominent, he sings. And he sings, and he whistles, and he chack calls, and then he sings some more. In folklore, red-winged blackbirds symbolize creativity, strength and joy. This bird was photographed in Denver’s Garland Park, by Park Hill resident Mark Silverstein.