Redwing Blackbirds: Neighborhood Watch! Photo Courtesy of Ann Cook Red-winged Blackbirds are nesting in most places in their breeding range now. Once redwings set up housekeeping, they must ensure that their babies will be safe. A "neighborhood watch" program is one way they do this. When male redwings are perched on their cattails, they keep watch not only on other redwings crossing the boundary to their own territory, but also on any crows or hawks that happen to be flying over. If a redwing spies a crow or hawk, it takes off to attack! See more about this interesting behavior: Neighborhood Watch Fun with Redwings! Make your own Redwing blackbird action figure Red-winged Blackbirds like wetlands with cattails. Many highways in the United States and Canada are drained by running along ditches. When these ditches fill with water, they become good habitat for redwings. That's why we so often see Red-winged Blackbirds while we're riding in cars. The birds can feed on seeds blown to the side of the road, and they often perch on power and telephone lines to get a better view of their entire territory. Next time you go on a long car ride, ask the driver to keep track of the miles for you, and count redwings for a while. When you get tired of counting, calculate how many redwings per mile there were. If someone is riding with you, one can keep track of redwings on the left side of the car while the other keeps track of them on the right side. Make it a contest to see who can spot more! Find more fun activities with redwings here: Red-winged Blackbird Field Studies You Can Try Try This! Journaling Questions Have you read the Red-wing Blackbird Dictionary and taken the RedwingVocabulary Quiz? If your have, you'll know this answer: What call will a redwing give when it sees YOU coming? Write (then ask) some quiz call questions to stump your friends! Why do you think crows don't fight back when a redwing attacks in the air? Think about your answer, write it down, then compare with ours. Copyright 2004 Journey North. All Rights Reserved. Please send all questions, comments, and suggestions to our feedback form