Red-Winged Blackbird: The Lament of the California Bicolored Subspecies
By Alane K. Dashner of Lodi, CA
(sing to the tune of “ Oh Susanna!”)
[verse 1]
Red-Winged Blackbirds are everywhere, Alaska to Cancún
But here in Californ-aye-ee we sing the saddest tune
[verse 2]
All Blackbirds rustle in the brush, we like to chirp with friends
We all have shoulders black and red – that’s where the likeness ends
[chorus]
Red-Winged Blackbirds, oh don’t you laugh at me
I lost my gold at Sutter’s hold in Californ-aye-ee
[verse 3]
Most Blackbirds have big moneybags of gold upon their wings
But miners stole our bags of gold – what sorrow they did bring
[repeat chorus]
[verse 4]
Since ’49 we’ve tried our best – we sway on twigs and sing
Blackbirds with shoulders red and gold make fun of our poor wings
[repeat chorus]
All year around in the Delta. Red-Winged Blackbirds cluster abundantly in marshes and grasslands throughout North and Central America. Highly social birds, the male is glossy black with colorful wings and the female is streaked brown. While most male Red-Winged Blackbirds have both red and yellow patches on their wings, the California Bicolored subspecies has only red patches. Also in the California wetlands is the Tricolor Blackbird, whose male has red and white patches on its wings.