The tricolored blackbird (Agelaius tricolor) name is derived from the male bird's distinctive white stripes on the bottom of their red shoulder patches, or "epaulets", which are visible when the bird is flying or displaying. It migrates south during the colder seasons to Mexico and back to northern California during the warmer seasons. While the similar Red-winged Blackbird is abundant over most of the continent, the very similar Tricolored Blackbird has a very small range in the Pacific states.
