I checked out a shrubby field (this is in Toronto) where there were a lot of red-winged blackbirds singing, but I also heard this weird song or call coming from a small tree -- it had a high note first, and afterwards a sound that came vaguely like a red-winged blackbird's, "konk-a-lee!" trill, but softer, more subdued, and somehow not quite "right". It repeated this sound many times -- a high sharp note, then the vaguely soft red-wing-like trill.
When I looked there was some black bird singing in the tree, and it didn't seem like a red-winged blackbird -- it was all black but I couldn't see a wing patch at all. I thought maybe it was some aberrant red-wing that couldn't sing properly or something. Later, though, I heard the same sounds coming from elsewhere in a tree. I also saw a lot (3-5) of black birds that were in a tree and it seemed like similar sounds were coming from them. I'm aware that common grackle, cowbird and starlings exist, but what I heard didn't sound like any of those I've heard.
I'm wondering, are there variants of red-winged blackbird songs that could explain this? Or (this is an explanation that would be consistent with the colour and that I'm leaning toward) do younger, less mature red-wings sing differently and I'm seeing those? What is up with this "weird" blackbird song? I don't know of any black-coloured mimics around.
