Red-winged Blackbird Nestlings – Welcome to a photographic journey through the fields, woods and marshes of New England
Red-winged blackbird chicks are born with their eyes closed and with only a few downy feathers. They have no ability to regulate their temperature for the first two to four days, making it essential that a parent, usually the female, keep them warm and dry, especially during the night and when it’s wet and cold. Within a few days, the nestlings begin to be able to control their own temperature. Although the young are initially very weak and poorly coordinated, within the first ten days, male nestlings increase their size by a factor of ten, females seven-and-a-half. Sometimes just the female feeds the nestlings, but it’s not unusual for both parents to care for their young. The nest is often parasitized by the brown-headed cowbird, which lays its eggs in other birds’ nests and leaves the rearing of its young to the host birds.
Many of the images and much of the information in this blog can be found in my book, Naturally Curious, which is being published this fall.
RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD NESTLINGS
Naturally Curious with Mary Holland 
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