Biological Profile
The following biological profile was provided by Ted Beedy.
Distinguishing Characteristics
Appearance
The tricolor is a medium-sized, sexually dimorphic blackbird. Adult males are glossy black, adult females are dark brown with dark gray and brown streaks. Juveniles are similar to females but paler (Pyle 1997). Adult male epaulets are typically bright scarlet and distinguishable from the red-orange epaulet of the adult male red-winged blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus). Band below epaulet bright white, not yellow or gold as in the red-winged blackbird. Breeding males average 60-65 grams and breeding females average 40-45 grams. Total body length is 18-24 cm.
Bills of both sexes long, narrow, round, and pointed (Beedy and Hamilton 1999). Both sexes have narrow, pointed wings with primary 9 longer than primary 6 (Mailliard 1910, Pyle 1997), giving the bird in flight a more pointed-wing profile than the closely related red-winged blackbird and enabling experienced observers to distinguish tricolors from other blackbird species at a distance (Mailliard 1910, Orians 1961). Flight typically undulating, and foraging flocks tend to be compact and linear.
Vocalizations
Often silent in flight, but may emit a distinctive "wuk" call (Collier 1968); much lower in frequency than Redwing (Orians and Christman 1968). During the early breeding season, males typically utter a strange mewing call very unlike other blackbirds and a loud song chorus is characteristic of establishing colonies.
Subspecies
There are no identified subspecies, although the tricolored blackbird has two distinct population segments: a Southern California population that occurs in southern California south of the Tehachapi Mountains and into northern Baja California, and a Central Valley population segment that occurs throughout the Central Valley. Banding studies have failed to detect any exchange of individuals between these population segments.
Distribution
Historical Breeding Distribution
Formerly abundant both in coastal California, where it was considered the most abundant bird near San Diego in the mid-19th Century (Baird cited in Cooper and Baird 1870), and in the Central Valley of California through interior southern California to northern Baja California (Grinnell 1915). Reported to occur in southern Oregon but breeding not confirmed (Neff 1937).
Current Breeding Distribution
Since 1980, breeding has occurred in 46 California counties (Beedy and Hamilton 1999), although the number and the sizes of the coastal and, especially, the southern California colonies has declined precipitously (e.g., Unitt 2004) and gaps occur in the breeding distribution in the Central Valley (e.g., Meese 2006, 2007). Small colonies persist also in northern Baja California, far western Nevada, at several scattered sites in Oregon, and in southeastern Washington.
Non-breeding Distribution
Withdraws from Washington, Oregon and Nevada as well as from Baja California. Also withdraws from coastal regions of Santa Barbara and San Diego Counties and portions of northern California outside of the Central Valley. Wintering populations concentrate in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and the central coast, particularly of Monterey, Marin, Sonoma and Santa Cruz counties, where they occur in multispecies flocks with other blackbirds, brown-headed cowbirds, and European starlings (Beedy and Hamilton 1999). Wintering tricolors are associated with open rangeland in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and along the central California Coast, often near diaries. From mid-October to February flocks to 25,000 frequent dairies on the Point Reyes Peninsula in Marin County (Beedy and Hamilton 1999).
The precise locations of and habitats utilized by wintering tricolors are poorly known and there is great need for extensive study of the distribution and abundance of this species throughout the winter.
Ecology
Territoriality
Often stated to be nonterritorial, but both males and females maintain breeding territories held for the duration of a single nesting effort. Territories are compressed and include only nesting space, not foraging areas. The range in the sizes of territories is less than one to several square meters, with most territories between 2 and 6 square meters (Beedy and Hamilton 1999). In some instances, especially in especially high nest densities, tricolor territories may be vertically stacked (e.g., Hamilton and Meese 2005).
In contrast, the closely-related red-winged blackbird is highly territorial and during the breeding season males defend territories that include two to several females as well as some foraging habitat. Thus, red-winged blackbirds are quite sparsely distributed across the landscape during the breeding season while tricolored blackbirds tend to form large, dense colonies during the breeding season and it is this difference in behavior that most clearly distinguishes between the two species for most people.
Breeding
Males arrive on the breeding sites 1-3 days before the females, typically in mid-to-late March in southern California and the San Joaquin Valley (DeHaven 1975b). The tricolor typically nests twice, and the second breeding attempt often occurs in a different, more northerly location (Hamilton 1998), although when breeding conditions permit, second breeding attempts may occur in or immediately adjcent to first breeding attempts (Meese 2006). Comparable movements have not been reported in southern California, where the bird is believed to be resident.
In most cases, one male breeds with two females in each breeding attempt. It is believed that the pair bond persists for one breeding attempt, and that second breeding attempts occur among different individuals.
Nesting Substrate
The tricolor builds its nests on a variety of substrates. Historically, most colonies were established in freshwater marshes dominated by cattails (Typha spp.) and bulrushes (Scirpus or Schoenoplectus spp.), with willows (Salix spp.) and nettles (Urtica spp.) also common (Neff 1937). The introduced mustards (Brassica spp.), blackberries (Rubus spp.), thistles (Circium spp.), and mallows (Malva spp.) have been commonly used for several decades.
Since the 1980's, the largest colonies have formed in grain (almost exclusively triticale, a hearty wheat x rye hybrid) fields in the San Joaquin Valley, especially so-called "dirty fields" that have relatively large amounts of invasive mustards or mallows.
Nest
The tricolor builds an open cup nest out of long leaves of a variety of plants. In most cases, the leaves are collected dry, then taken to a nearby water source, placed in the water for several seconds until thoroughly wet, and then taken to the nest site (Meese, pers. obs.). The leaves are woven around stout, upright stems of many plants species, and at heights of only a few cm to 2 meters above ground or water level, with ca. 1 meter being typical. The female builds the nest alone, with males only very rarely providing nest materials to the females. Nest-building takes about 4 days. Coarse materials are woven around the stems to produce a platform, then similar materials are used to create the sides, a mud bottom is added, and when this dries, very fine materials are placed on top of the mud to provide a soft substrate for the eggs.
Eggs
Incubation
Incubation of eggs is exclusively by the females and begins with the laying of the first egg (Beedy and Hamilton 1999). Eggs are incubated for approximately 12 days, exceptionally to 14 days (Payne 1969).
Nestling Growth and Development
Young born naked and blind. Weight at birth 2-3 grams (Beedy and Hamilton 1999). Nestlings typically fed for 11-12 days; feeding by both parents. Young fed almost exclusively animal prey from birth until day 9, when a mixture of both plant and animal foods are provided (Crase and DeHaven 1977; Skorupa, Hothem, and DeHaven 1980; Meese pers. obs.).
Fledging
Diet and Foraging
Tricolored blackbirds, like other blackbird species, are fundamentally granivores (Orians 1980); however, tricolors consume a wide variety of plant and animal foods (Skorupa, Hothem, and DeHaven 1980), and respond opportunistically to the most abundant, readily available food resource. In the San Joaquin Valley, most tricolors feed on stored grains associated with dairies, with additional animal foods taken from both aquatic and terrestrial habitats up to 9 km from the colony. Birds may forage over a wide area, but females forming eggs and adults feeding nestlings tyically concentrate foraging efforts on small, highly productive habitats, including shrublands (often excellent sources of caterpillars), pasturelands (many types of insects, but especially grasshoppers during grasshopper "breakout" years), wetlands (aquatic insect larvae), and rice paddies (aquatic insect larvae).
Sources of Mortality
Lifespan
