Red-winged blackbird

Agelaius phoeniceus

The Red-winged blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) is a bird found in United States and Canada. Marshes and wet fields across North America. It eats insects and other small invertebrates and seeds and nuts. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.

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Scientific name	Agelaius phoeniceus
Region	North America
Found in	United States and Canada

🏡 Where the Red-winged blackbird lives

Marshes and wet fields across North America.

🍽️ What it eats

🐛 Insects & bugs50%
🌰 Seeds & nuts50%

A rough guide to its diet over a year. Source: EltonTraits (Wilman et al. 2014).

Conservation status

LCNTVUENCREWEX

Least ConcernThere are plenty of these birds.

💡 Males flash red-and-yellow shoulder patches to claim their patch of marsh.

Hear the Red-winged blackbird

Recorded by Pat Goltz (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0), xeno-canto XC1148215. Trimmed to a few seconds.

Questions about the Red-winged blackbird

Where does the Red-winged blackbird live?

The Red-winged blackbird lives in United States and Canada. Marshes and wet fields across North America.

What does the Red-winged blackbird eat?

insects and other small invertebrates (about 50%), seeds and nuts (about 50%). These are rough shares of its diet over a year, from the EltonTraits database.

Is the Red-winged blackbird endangered?

There are plenty of these birds. Its IUCN Red List category is Least Concern.

More birds from North America

Sources: IUCN Red List (via Wikidata), EltonTraits 1.0 (Wilman et al. 2014), GBIF sightings for countries, Wikipedia. Last updated 2026-10-19.