Birders
 
Phil does an excellent job of summarizing how thorny an identification  issue 
this is. Outside the breeding season on the Central California coast, when  
Tricolored Blackbirds appear in mixed flocks with Red-winged  Blackbirds, the 
DARK RED lesser coverts of male Tricolored Blackbirds  are helpful in 
distinguishing them from male Red-winged Blackbirds, which have  brighter, more orangey 
red lesser coverts. The whitish median coverts of male  Tricoloreds are also 
helpful but, as already mentioned, these feathers can  appear quite buffy on 
fresh-plumaged Tricolored and conversely, worn Red-winged  can look whitish. 
Other helpful differences include the extensive cold  gray-brown feather fringes 
(in fresh plumage) and the cold bluish  plumage gloss (in good light) of 
Tricolored. The more pointy bill and longer  wings of Tricolored give it a more 
rangy appearance, but the structural  differences are generally underwhelming.  
I've posted some photos  of fresh-plumaged male Tricolored Blackbirds that 
illustrate some of these  features, including the variation in median covert 
color, at  http://www.badboybirding.com/TRBL_10262003.htm
 
Identifying an out-of-range Tricolored Blackbird would be a tough  call.
 
Best
 
Stephen
 
In a message dated 3/5/2006 12:01:22 A.M. Eastern Standard Time,  
 writes:

Date:    Sat, 4 Mar 2006 20:44:33 -0500
From:     Phil Davis <>
Subject: Re: IDing tricolored  blackbirds?

Hi Jonathan:

Interesting question ... that is,  ignoring the range, but just looking at 
the field mark differences between  the two. The BNA-online account was not 
all that useful. Below are  excerpts from the "Identification" sections of 
the two species accounts  from the following ...

Jaramillo,  Alvaro and Peter Burke, 1999. The New World Blackbirds. 
Princeton  University Press.

Epaulet color, alone, is therefore not sufficient for  identification. One 
needs to consider the size and shape of the bill,  wings, and tail, as well 
a vocalizations.

From New World Blackbirds  ... (capitalized highlights added) ...

Red-winged Blackbird:
In  North America, adult male Red-winged Blackbirds are basically  
unmistakable, outside of California. No other bird is black with red and  
yellowish shoulders. The closely related Tricolored Blackbird (62) poses a  
problem in California, Oregon, N Mexico and surrounding areas. Tricolored  
Blackbird differs in shape from 'Redwing', having a longer, thinner bill  as 
well as a more squared-off tail. The rnain feature to look for is the  white 
median coverts of Tricolored Blackbirds, rather than buff or yellow;  note 
that fresh fall Tricolored Blackbirds may show a buff tone to the  epaulet 
borders and that WORN RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS MAY SHOW WHITE EPAULET  BORDERS. 
However, fresh Tricolored Blackbirds have cold greyish-buff  feather edges 
to the body plumage, unlike the cinnamon, warm buff, or  chestnut colors of 
'Redwings'. The black plumage lacks a noticeable gloss  on Red-winged 
Blackbird, but has a faint bluish gloss on Tricolored, which  can be obvious 
in good light.

Tricolored Blackbird:
The  identification of this species is complicated due to the overall  
similarity of this species to Red-winged Blackbird, in addition to the  
variability of that species. Tricolored Blackbird may be found, often in  
the same flock, with typical Red-winged Blackbirds and 'Bicolored'  
Red-winged Blackbirds (61X). Male Tricolored Blackbird is more similar to  
males of typical Red-winged Blackbird, while females are similar to female  
'Bicolored Blackbirds'. In general, Tricolored Blackbirds are  
slimmer-billed than their sympatric 'redwing' forms and tend to show more  
square-tipped tails. In addition, the wing formula differs, with  Tricolored 
Blackbirds having a slightly more pointed wing (Figure 61.1),  but this is 
difficult to assess in the field.
The males are more glossy  than male Redwinged/'Bicolored' Blackbirds, but 
this is only obvious in  direct comparison. ... TYPICAL RED-WINGED 
BLACKBIRDS WITH THEIR BUFFY  YELLOW MEDIAN COVERTS MAY CAUSE AN 
IDENTIFICATION PROBLEM EARLY IN FALL  WHEN TRICOLORED BLACKBIRD'S MEDIAN 
COVERTS ARE LIGHT BUFF. Note that on  Tricolored Blackbird, the red of the 
epaulet is more intense, the median  coverts are buff without a yellow tone 
and the upperpart fringing is  greybrown rather than rusty-brown.


Also, FYI   ...

http://www.sdnhm.org/research/birdatlas/focus/blkbirds.html

http://pick4.pick.uga.edu/mp/20q?search=Agelaius+tricolor&guide=Birds

http://audubon2.org/webapp/watchlist/viewSpecies.jsp?id=205


Hope  this helps! Maybe someone that has lived in the west can provide 
addition  information.

Phil


At 16:40 03/04/2006, Jonathan Balcombe  wrote:
>Dear birders,
>How much variation does one see in the  yellow epaulette of Red-winged
>blackbirds? I read in my guides that it  can appear buffy. The one I saw
>today behind my house (through a  spotting scope from the upstairs window)
>looked clearly white, esp  compared to the yellow one on the male next to
>him.
>
>I'm  not suggesting that there is a tricolored blackbird in Maryland! But  I
>would appreciate any input from others who may have  experience/knowledge
>with the subtle differences btw RWBBs and  TBBs.

==================================
Phil Davis     Davidsonville, Maryland     USA
mailto:[log in to unmask]
==================================  





Stephen J.  Davies

Silver Spring
Maryland,  USA


www.badboybirding.com