01366nas a2200145   4500008004100000245005700041210005600098300001300154490000700167520096000174653001401134653001401148100001801162856004001180       1979                        eng d00aPredation on red-winged blackbird eggs and nestlings0 aPredation on redwinged blackbird eggs and nestlings  a426 -4330 v913 a<p>The contents of red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) nests are subject to extensive and highly variable losses. Normally, most red-wing eggs fail to produce young that are able to leave the nest. Most researchers have found 60 to 100% of the losses to be due to predation on nest contents, where the entire brood or clutch is lost at once. Fewer than 5% of the losses normally appear to be related to starvation of nestlings or nestling competition. The remainder of the losses (under 40%) result from a variety of causes, including egg infertility, nest desertion, and nest tipping due to growth of the supporting vegetation. In this study, I relate predatory losses of red-wing nestlings and eggs to water depth at nest-sites, habitat type, and number of young in the nest. My studies were done in east-central Kansas; several previous authors have presented data from similar studies in other parts of the range of the Red-winged Blackbird</p>10ablackbird10apredation1 aShipley, F.S.  uhttp://www.jstor.org/stable/4161244