CJC@psuvm.BITNET (08/08/85)
> >> Pat & I spotted a blue heron flying erratically (ie: not the >> usual, gracefull glide) recently. On further inspection, we >> noticed that it was being divebombed by a red-winged blackbird! >> Previously, I had only seen mockingbirds chasing other, larger >> birds around (in my homestate, Florida). Are redwing blackbirds >> as territorial as mockingbirds? Why else would it be chasing a >> heron? >> > >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. --Carolyn J. Clark Bitnet: CJC at PSUVM UUCP : {allegra, akgua, ihnp4}!psuvax!CJC@PSUVM.BITNET ARPA : cjc%psuvm.BITNET@Berkeley
wmartin@brl-tgr.ARPA (Will Martin ) (08/08/85)
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
res@ihlpl.UUCP (Rich Strebendt @ AT&T Information Systems - Indian Hill West; formerly) (08/16/85)
> >> ... 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
les@kitc.UUCP (Les Johnson) (09/02/85)
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)