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BiologyThe red-breasted blackbird is most commonly encountered foraging for insects and seeds in bushes, low trees and sometimes on the ground (3) (4). Occupying an open environment means that this species is vulnerable to aerial predators such as hawks, hence when alarmed, the red-breasted blackbird will produce a pist call to alert other conspecifics of danger (2). During the breeding season (March to mid-November in Trinidad), other vocalisations are produced, such as a tsi-li-li-EE song made by the male during display flights (4) (5). After mating a deep, cup-shaped nest is constructed from grass stems lined with finer grass, which is placed on the ground and hidden amongst vegetation (2) (3). A clutch of two to four eggs is normally laid, but frequently additional eggs are deposited by the glossy cowbird, a brood parasite (5). These eggs are then unwittingly incubated and brooded by the red-breasted blackbird, often to the detriment of its own offspring (5) (6).