Red-Winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus), watercolor
About the illustration:
Commissioned by: Wisconsin Sea Grant, University of Wisconsin-Madison
About red-winged blackbirds:
Red-winged blackbirds are often considered to be "nuisance" birds due to their flocking behavior. Males are black with red and yellow patches on wings. Female coloring is less dramatic. They are found throughout the U.S.
Taxonomy:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata (having a spinal chord)
Class: Aves (birds)
Order: Passeriformes (perching birds)
Family: Icteridae (mostly black in color, some with yellow, orange, or red, of the New World)
Genus: Agelaius (American blackbirds)
Species: A. phoeniceus
More information about red-winged blackbirds:
Range map
Nice photos of red-winged blackbirds
Birds of a Feather, an article from Missouri Conservationist Online about flocks of red-winged blackbirds