Red-winged blackbird in display

Male red-winged blackbirds spend spring loudly defending patches of marsh, and the red-and-yellow shoulder patch — normally kept mostly hidden — flares to full size during exactly this kind of display flight. It’s one of the more aggressive-looking territorial signals in a common backyard bird.

Why it matters

That epaulet is entirely about signaling: studies have shown that males with experimentally dulled shoulder patches lose territorial disputes far more often, even against males they’d otherwise have beaten. The patch size and brightness genuinely functions as a badge of status among the birds themselves.

Getting the shot

Panned to keep pace with the bird’s short territorial flight, timing the shutter for the moment the wing was fully extended and the epaulet flared widest. The uniform green background made that flash of red the only thing the eye can land on.