Red-breasted Blackbird

Lost in transit? The Red-breasted Blackbird.

When you are in Paramaribo, the Red-breasted Blackbird is one that you likely will see on a daily basis. It is a resident of the coastal area in Suriname. The Red-breasted Blackbird (Sturnella militaris) is locally known as Rediborsu or Roodborstje. Often referred to the male's presence. The pictures you'll be seeing in this article are from a female Red-breasted Blackbird.

These were taken in January 2017. She wasn't staying that long at the resort, probably on transit or she was a bit lost or she decided to rest a while. This female almost had me fooled as I thought it was once again the Bobolink. They look so much alike, until we had a closer inspection.

The female Red-breasted Blackbird has a bit more color on the chest compared with the Bobolinks' appearance. She was also a bit restless as she kept moving from place to place whenever she spotted me with my camera.

What also made this task challenging was the fact that she liked to stay low on the ground instead on a post or on a branch. Second to notice is that she also favored tall grasses to stay hidden or in this particular picture, be one with the background.
Red-breasted Blackbirds are found on the ground, looking for insects that are well hidden between the grass or for seeds or small berries. Explaining why she was always on the lower level.

At some point she gave up on running away and decided to turn the whole ordeal; she was following me for a while and was even a bit curious at this strange looking creature. I guess her transit visa was ok, as she left the next day. Who knows where her journey might have brought her to.

I've put a picture of the female Bobolink next to the female Red-breasted Blackbird. Just to give you an idea how she almost fooled me.

Bobolink

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