Nature Walk: Red-Winged Black Bird

For grassland birds, a habitat with a diverse array of flowers is extremely important. This type of habitat attracts numerous insects, which are an important source of protein critical for the growth and development of young birds during the nesting season.  Here we see a female red-winged blackbird in a prairie covered by Golden Alexander.  Its likely that its woven nest is attached to a sturdy flower stalk such as a compass plant.