The Red-winged Blackbirds were feeding in a big patch of cattails this morning. These two shots of a male show the buff colored edges of the black feathers that apparently are present in the new feathers that come in after the August molt - in some birds to more of a degree than others. Then these edges are worn off through the winter, leaving the total black look of the bird in spring. Also evident here are the ocher-colored band of feathers (median coverts) just below the scarlet-colored ones, which give the bird its name.
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