Male black, with scarlet and buff shoulders; female brownish black above and streaked below. Nearly all our ponds or wet meadows have their pair or colony of Blackbirds.
Note.—A harsh “cack”; a pleasing liquid song, “conk-err-ee,” given with much bowing and spreading of the wings and tail.
Nest.—Usually at low elevations in bushes, in swamps or around the edges of ponds or frequently on the ground or on hummocks in wet pastures. The nest is made of woven grasses and rushes, and is usually partially suspended from the rim when placed in bushes. The three to five eggs are bluish white, scrawled, chiefly around the large end, with blackish (1.00 × .70).
Range.—East of the Rockies, breeding north to Manitoba and New Brunswick; winters in southern U. S.
Sub-Species.—498b. Bahaman Redwing (bryanti). 498c. Florida Redwing (floridanus).
MEADOWLARK
501. Sturnella magna. 10¾ inches
Meadowlarks are familiar friends of the hillside and meadow; their clear fife-like whistle is often heard, while they are perched on a fence-post or tree-top, as well as their sputtering alarm note when they fly up before us as we cross the field.
Song.—A clear, flute-like “tseeu-tseeer,” and a rapid sputtering alarm note.