Q: I don't see as many redwing blackbirds as I used to. Are they getting scarce?

A: The redwing blackbird is a common resident of farmland and wetlands. Males often perch on telephone wires, defending their territory (which can include multiple females) against competing males. Their territorial imperative is so strong that they occasionally attack riders of bikes or horses who stray through "their" territory.

The number of redwing blackbirds in Wisconsin is down, says Stanley Temple, professor of wildlife ecology at UW-Madison, but "so slightly that it would be unusual to notice if you were not keeping close track."

The explanation is probably rooted in agricultural changes in their wintering grounds. Redwings go down to the Gulf Coast states for the winter, Temple says. "Beginning in the 1930s, there was an extensive shift toward cereal crops, especially rice. It was a superabundant food source for over-wintering blackbirds, but that land is being taken out of cereal production, and they are losing their winter food."

The same change explains declines in cowbird, grackles and starlings, he adds.

Some related birds, including Brewer's blackbird and the rusty blackbird, are also declining in Wisconsin, Temple says, but the trusty redwing is likely to be decorating southern Wisconsin telephone lines and fenceposts for many years to come.

- Produced in cooperation with University Communications

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