Tricolored Blackbird

The blackbird (Agelaius tricolour) of the genus Icteridae is a passerine bird. The coverage is restricted to the coastal areas of the Pacific coast of North America, from Northern California in the United States (with occasional strays into Oregon), to the upper Baja California in Mexico. This highly social and gregarious species forms the largest colonies of any North American landbird, with a single breeding colony often consisting of tens of thousands of birds. The common name is derived from the male bird's prominent white marks on the bottom of its red shoulder pads, or "epaulettes," which are noticeable when the bird is flying or displaying. This bird is not related to the common Old World blackbird, which is a thrush, despite the near names. The species call sounds a bit more nasal than the red-wing call, a nasal kip and a quick scan.

The song is a garbled on-ke-kaaangh about the man. The bird migrates south to Mexico during the warmer seasons, and then to northern California. Tricolored Blackbirds have a stocky, wide-shouldered look from afar, and seem humpbacked when perched at times. Unlike other members of the blackbird tribe, they have a short conical bill, and a long tail. Females are less in size than females. Male Tricolored Blackbirds are fully black with a bright red shoulder patch bordered underneath by a white to cream line. Overall, the females are dark grey-brown with their bellies and sides streaked, with a white nose. Most of the juvenile male birds are brownish black with some dark sex-based mottling.

Tricolored Blackbirds are gregarious birds typically seen in large, compact groups year-round. Like the Red-winged Blackbirds they nest in small clusters, and often migrate away from the colony to find food. During the nonbreeding season they join flocks of Red winged Blackbirds, Brewer's Blackbirds, Brown-headed Cowbirds and European Starlings. Historically Tricolored Blackbirds were bred in wetlands at all times. Because of substantial destruction of the U.S. ecosystem Many are now breeding on West Coast farm lands, though some do live in remnant marshes. Within and around the dairy they forage vegetables, trees, and wetlands. Searching for them in irrigated pastures, dairy farms, rice fields, and feedlots. In 1990, the Department of Fish and Game of California added the tricolored blackbird to the current list of "Bird Species of Special Importance" based on a major reduction in population numbers reported in the 1980s.

This designation is an "administrative mark intended to warn and encourage farmers, land managers and others to a deteriorating species status." At this time, the tricolourd was adopted into the U.S. Fish and nature initiatives list of breeding birds of concern. The tricolour blackbird's breeding population had decreased to around thirty-five thousand adults in 1991. That sparked a letter from the Yolo chapter of the National Audubon Society, submitted to the California Fish and Game Commission. The amendment has the tricolored blackbird classified for endangered status. The classification was issued prior to the breeding season in 1992.

It was also when the team discovered a population of over 300,000. An appeal was made to revoke the endangered status and was accepted. As seen before, maintenance measures needed to be implemented and followed to prevent a slowdown in the future. Such measures were implemented but only very limited progress was made in preventing the possible loss of the Tricolored blackbird. Shortly after the year 2000 the parties involved started to convene again. Staff managers will consider unexpected results when conducting population surveys. Suggesting that Tricolored Blackbirds are social birds may be an underestimate. They form the largest breeding colonies of all North American passerines. In the 1930s, one colony covered about 59 acres and hosted about 300,000 birds around as many as are in today's overall population. After the 1930s, the number of Tricolored Blackbirds has decreased significantly but they still form large colonies.