Although I wake up to the sound of birds loudly chirping at this time of the year, it is getting increasingly difficult to see most of them as the trees regain their thick covering of leaves. The male Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) is a notable exception, because he does not hide behind the foliage. Instead, he seems to choose the highest point in the open from which to boldly make his loud calls—there is not timidity or shyness in this bird.
The blackbird puts so much energy into his “singing” that at times his perch becomes precarious. I captured this blackbird in one such moment, when his position seems so awkward and distorted that looks like a cartoon to me.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
That’s funny. They really are show offs.
I never know for sure if their outlandish behavior is intended to attract ladies or to scare off competitors. Maybe lady blackbirds like those loud, sometimes annoying calls (there is no accounting for taste in music).
I watched one flying above a crow yesterday, pecking at the crow’s head.
I was just saying yesterday that I thought that there were a lot more of them here in Illinois than usual this spring.
Awesome shot, Mike! I wish we had red-winged blackbirds over here as well, they look so cool!
They are definitely cool. I am always fascinated by the fact that birds that I consider to be “common” are only common in a certain geographic range (or only during a certain period of a year).
He’s got a lot of force behind that!
An energetic singer for sure! You captured his enthusiasm.
Thanks, Sue. These guys are pretty common, but always fun to watch.
[…] Cartoon blackbird […]