This species is well monitored by the Breeding Bird Survey (BBS), which has good coverage of its breeding population. BBS results indicate that the national population has experienced a small decrease but is still within the levels considered to be unchanged relative to 1970. The population decreased through to the mid-2000s. but then increased by about 21% during the most recent period (2006-2016). Population trends vary among the Bird Conservation Regions (BCRs) that host the species. In the Prairie Potholes BCR, an area with one of the highest breeding densities of Red-winged Blackbirds and one that heavily influences the national trend, the population has had little overall change relative to the early 1970s. Other BCRs have experienced varying levels of decrease. BBS results from throughout North America indicate a decrease of about 35% since the 1970s but, as in Canada, that trend has improved over recent years. Though the Red-winged Blackbird population dipped below the lowest acceptable level relative to its national population goal between the mid-1990s and mid-2010s, it is currently at an acceptable level (see BBS Canada graph below).
Additional information on: Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) - Canadian analysis
