Red-winged Blackbird Population Analysis
Red-winged Blackbird has fallen sharply: down 51% on the route-weighted index since 1968.
About the Red-winged Blackbird
One of North America's most abundant birds, the Red-winged Blackbird breeds in marshes and wet fields, the males flashing scarlet shoulder patches as they sing from the cattails.
- Size
- 8.5–9.5 in long, about 2.3 oz (22–24 cm, 64 g)
- Habitat
- Marshes, ponds, lakeshores and other freshwater wetlands.
- Diet
- Insects in summer, and seeds and grain the rest of the year.
- Range
- Recorded on 3,969 Breeding Bird Survey routes across 49 states, most concentrated in the Appalachian Mountains.
- Family
- Icteridae · Wetland birds
- Conservation
- Least Concern
Notable Red-winged Blackbird TrendsNotable signalsLong-arc shifts the engine flags automatically — sustained declines or increases large enough to stand out from year-to-year noise.Full methodology →
Red-winged Blackbird has fallen sharply in surveyed states: down 51% on the route-weighted index since 1968.
Red-winged Blackbird Population Forecast
If the recent trend holds, Red-winged Blackbird is projected to fall about 35% by 2030 — from 44 in 2025 to a central estimate of 29 (95% range 19–39). A 5-year backtest shows a typical error of ±24.9%, with 20% of held-out values landing inside the 95% band.
Where the Red-winged Blackbird Is Detected
BBS routes recording Red-winged Blackbird, sized by most recent count.
Red-winged Blackbird Population Trend by State
Red-winged Blackbird Population Trend by Region
Bird Conservation Regions are the ecological unit for trends.
Red-winged Blackbird Conservation Status
Least Concern
The IUCN Red List rates this species as Least Concern. Our route-weighted index shows it down about 51% since 1968.
Source: USGS North American Breeding Bird Survey, retrieved 2026-08-14. Trend is a route-weighted relative-abundance index, not an absolute population.