Foods of the Red-Winged Blackbird in Brown County, South Dakota

An analysis of the gizzard contents of 702 red-winged blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) collected from 1959 through 1965 during the spring, summer, and early fall in northeastern South Dakota showed that a weed seed, bristle grass (Setaria spp.), occurred most frequently (68 percent of the gizzards)...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of wildlife management 1972-07, Vol.36 (3), p.983-987
Main Authors: Mott, Donald F., West, Richard R., De Grazio, John W., Guarino, Joseph L.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal feeding behavior
Animal traps
Briefer Articles
Corn
Food
Gizzard
Grains
Infestation
Magpies
Oats
Vegetables
Citations: Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:An analysis of the gizzard contents of 702 red-winged blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) collected from 1959 through 1965 during the spring, summer, and early fall in northeastern South Dakota showed that a weed seed, bristle grass (Setaria spp.), occurred most frequently (68 percent of the gizzards) and in the largest quantity (23 percent of the volume). Corn (Zea mays) was eaten more frequently (30 percent) and in larger amounts (11 percent) than all other cultivated grains. Oats (Avena sativa), wheat (Triticum aestivum), and millet (Panicum miliaceum) made up most of the remaining plant food consumed. Animal matter, mostly beetles (Coleoptera), contributed 25 percent of the total volume eaten, with the greatest incidence and volume (96 and 45 percent) being recorded during the nesting period. Grit accounted for 14 percent of the volume eaten.
ISSN:0022-541X
1937-2817
DOI:10.2307/3799465