<P> The red - winged blackbird ( Agelaius phoeniceus ) is a passerine bird of the family Icteridae found in most of North America and much of Central America . It breeds from Alaska and Newfoundland south to Florida , the Gulf of Mexico , Mexico , and Guatemala , with isolated populations in western El Salvador , northwestern Honduras , and northwestern Costa Rica . It may winter as far north as Pennsylvania and British Columbia , but northern populations are generally migratory , moving south to Mexico and the southern United States . Claims have been made that it is the most abundant living land bird in North America , as bird - counting censuses of wintering red - winged blackbirds sometimes show that loose flocks can number in excess of a million birds per flock and the full number of breeding pairs across North and Central America may exceed 250 million in peak years . It also ranks among the best - studied wild bird species in the world . The red - winged blackbird is sexually dimorphic ; the male is all black with a red shoulder and yellow wing bar , while the female is a nondescript dark brown . Seeds and insects make up the bulk of the red - winged blackbird 's diet . </P>
<P> The red - winged blackbird ( Agelaius phoeniceus ) is a passerine bird of the family Icteridae found in most of North America and much of Central America . It breeds from Alaska and Newfoundland south to Florida , the Gulf of Mexico , Mexico , and Guatemala , with isolated populations in western El Salvador , northwestern Honduras , and northwestern Costa Rica . It may winter as far north as Pennsylvania and British Columbia , but northern populations are generally migratory , moving south to Mexico and the southern United States . Claims have been made that it is the most abundant living land bird in North America , as bird - counting censuses of wintering red - winged blackbirds sometimes show that loose flocks can number in excess of a million birds per flock and the full number of breeding pairs across North and Central America may exceed 250 million in peak years . It also ranks among the best - studied wild bird species in the world . The red - winged blackbird is sexually dimorphic ; the male is all black with a red shoulder and yellow wing bar , while the female is a nondescript dark brown . Seeds and insects make up the bulk of the red - winged blackbird 's diet . </P>
blackbird with yellow and red stripe on wing
blackbird with yellow and red stripe on wing
red - winged blackbird ( Agelaius phoeniceus )
red - winged blackbird ( Agelaius phoeniceus )