Here you see an older male red-winged blackbird sitting on one of the tallest cattails in his territories, puffing himself up as large as he can, and warning other males to stay away in a harsh, hypertensive voice.
As near as I can tell, this red-wing has four distinct territories, each with a nesting female in it. He may own the territories, but not the females. The female red-wings look like gussied-up sparrows:
They’re infamous for their infidelities with unpaired males who sneak in the “back doors” of their neighbors’ properties. Maybe that’s why the dominant males are often hysterical. (Images taken in Brooklin, Maine, on May 21 and 27 [female], 2023.)