red-winged blackbird

[red-wingd]

noun

1. a North American blackbird, Agelaius phoeniceus, the male of which is black with scarlet patches, usually bordered with buff or yellow, on the bend of the wing.

Word History and Origins

Origin of red-winged blackbird¹

First recorded in 1770–80

Example Sentences

Every morning, at this time of year, a red-winged blackbird greets me as I walk down the street.

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His “spark bird,” at 9, was the red-winged blackbird, which flocked to his homemade bird feeder in his suburban Long Island yard.

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The lament of a mourning dove is accompanied by the shrill urgency of a red-winged blackbird flitting between field and power line.

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I missed walking outside to the chirpy song of a red-winged blackbird first thing in the morning, the downy woodpeckers tapping away on our old maple tree.

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A lone red-winged blackbird kept up a steady chatter as we both lingered above the wetlands on a raised observation platform.

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