Often seen at the edges of marshes, this flashy member of the blackbird family fluffs out his red shoulder patches, much like a strong man flexes his biceps, and calls out the name of the strongest man in the world "Her-cu-leeees". He uses this call to keep other males out of his territory and attract the drab-brownish colored females.

Blackbirds make their nest out of dead cattail leaves and make their nest about 30cm above the water in cattail plants. They even line their nest with the fluff from the seeds of the cattail.

Females and males flock up early in the fall in noisy groups before migrating. Males flock later.

by Donna Hill B.Sc. B.Ed. 1998