Black bird with red spot on shoulder. This is a medium sized stocky heron with short neck and legs black upperparts gray wings and white to pale gray underparts. Jonathan eckerson macaulay library. The red shoulder patches of the male hidden under body feathers much of the time are brilliantly displayed when he is singing. The red winged blackbird agelaius phoeniceus is a passerine bird of the family icteridae found in most of north america and much of central america it breeds from alaska and newfoundland south to florida the gulf of mexico mexico and guatemala with isolated populations in western el salvador northwestern honduras and northwestern costa rica. Runs or hops while foraging on the ground. Male red winged blackbirds are hard to mistake. One california subspecies of the red winged blackbird lacks the yellow borders to the red shoulders epaulets and has been dubbed the bicolored blackbird some scientists think this plumage difference may help red winged blackbirds recognize each other where their range overlaps with the similar tricolored blackbird. They are notably bold and several will often attack a larger bird such as a hawk or crow that flies over their nesting area. Females are crisply streaked and dark brownish overall paler on the breast and often show a whitish eyebrow.