Red-shouldered blackbird
Agelaius assimilis Lembeye, 1850
The red-shouldered blackbird (Agelaius assimilis) is a species in the family Icteridae, order Passeriformes. Recorded adults weigh 40.6 g to 60.5 g and live up to 15.8 years. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.
Quick facts about the red-shouldered blackbird
- Weight
- 40.6 g – 60.5 gsrc for Weight
- Length
- Not recorded
- Lifespan
- 15.8 yearssrc for Lifespan
- Diet
- Omnivoresrc for Diet
- Longest recorded lifespan
- 20 years
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- wetlandsrc for Habitat
- Egg incubation
- 12 dayssrc for Egg incubation
- Young per litter or clutch
- 2.4 – 3.29src for Young per litter or clutch
- Age at maturity
- 12 months – 18 monthssrc for Age at maturity
- Litters or clutches a year
- 2src for Litters or clutches a year
- Lifestyle
- Terrestrialsrc for Lifestyle
- Migration
- Partialsrc for Migration
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
Where does the red-shouldered blackbird live?
Not recorded
What is the red-shouldered blackbird?
The red-shouldered blackbird (Agelaius assimilis), known in Cuban Spanish as mayito de la ciénaga (swamp mayito) or sargento cubano (Cuban sergeant) and turpial de hombros rojos (red-shouldered troupial), is a species of passerine bird in the family Icteridae endemic to Cuba. It is similar to other species in the genus Agelaius, but recent research has established it as a separate species from the closely related red-winged blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus).
The males are very similar to those of the red-winged blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus), while the females are completely black, similar to the males but without the red and yellow stripes on the wings. In addition to having a different behavior, the sexual dimorphism in size and color of the plumage of the red-shouldered blackbird is less than that of the red-winged blackbird.
It is found only in the wetlands of the island of Cuba. Although its reduced range covers only 4,100 square kilometres (1,600 sq mi), it has been classified as species of least concern. In the absence of evidence of population decline or significant threats, their numbers are believed to be stable.
From the Wikipedia article “Red-shouldered blackbird” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Red-shouldered_blackbird&oldid=1380702155), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the red-shouldered blackbird endangered?
The red-shouldered blackbird is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species. What the categories mean.
How is the red-shouldered blackbird classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classAves
- orderPasseriformes
- familyIcteridae
- genusAgelaius
- SpeciesAgelaius assimilis Lembeye, 1850
Synonyms Agelaius assimilis assimilis, Agelaius assimilis subniger, Agelaius phoeniceus assimilis
Other names and names in other languages (29)
- Cuban red-winged blackbirdEnglish
- sergent de CubaCatalan
- vlhovec červenoramennýCzech
- Rødskuldret StærlingDanish
- RotflügelstärlingGerman
- RotschulterstärlingGerman
- ruĝaŝultra nigrikteroEsperanto
- Sargento cubanoSpanish
- Mayito de CiénegaSpanish
- kuubanturpiaaliFinnish
- Carouge de CubaFrench
- crvenokrili vranjakCroatian
- Ittero spallerosseItalian
- アカカタハゴロモガラスJapanese
- kubinis juodasis trupialasLithuanian
- RoodschoudertroepiaalDutch
- ildvingetrupialNorwegian
- epoletnik kubańskiPolish
- graúna-de-ombros-vermelhosPortuguese
- sargento-d'ombros-vermelhosPortuguese
- Краснокрылый трупиалRussian
- Краснокрылый чёрный трупиалRussian
- vlhovec kubánskySlovak
- Američki kos crvenih ramenaSerbian
- zapatatrupialSwedish
- Al Omuzlu KaratavukTurkish
- еполетник кубинськийUkrainian
- 紅肩黑鸝Chinese
- 红肩黑鹂Chinese
Relatives of the red-shouldered blackbird
Other species in the same genus Agelaius.
Red-winged blackbird
Agelaius phoeniceus
Tricolored blackbird
Agelaius tricolor
Yellow-shouldered blackbird
Agelaius xanthomus
Tawny-shouldered blackbird
Agelaius humeralis
CompareRed-shouldered blackbird vs Red-winged blackbirdRed-shouldered blackbird vs Tricolored blackbirdRed-shouldered blackbird vs Yellow-shouldered blackbirdRed-shouldered blackbird vs Tawny-shouldered blackbird
Common questions
Answered only where our data holds the answer.
How big is the red-shouldered blackbird?
An adult red-shouldered blackbird weighs 40.6 g – 60.5 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.
Is the red-shouldered blackbird endangered?
The red-shouldered blackbird is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.
How long does the red-shouldered blackbird live?
The red-shouldered blackbird has a recorded lifespan of 15.8 years.
What kind of animal is the red-shouldered blackbird?
The red-shouldered blackbird (Agelaius assimilis) belongs to the family Icteridae in the order Passeriformes.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles · CC0 1.0 · E096-269
Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1 - AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds · CC BY 4.0 · v7
Tobias, J.A. et al. (2022) AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13898. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7 - Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
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CreatureData. (2026). Red-shouldered blackbird (Agelaius assimilis). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/red-shouldered-blackbird
“Red-shouldered blackbird (Agelaius assimilis).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/red-shouldered-blackbird.
@misc{red_shouldered_blackbird_2026,
title = {Red-shouldered blackbird (Agelaius assimilis)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/red-shouldered-blackbird},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}