"The female ... is much less distinctive and less frequently recognized. Significantly smaller than the nine-inch male, she is dark brown above and heavily streaked below. There may be a hint of red on the shoulder, but that becomes visible only at close range. The female red-wing resembles a large and strongly marked sparrow with a sharply pointed bill ... The red-wing sexes often remain segregated through the winter, an unusual behavior among birds." (Tveten, page 329)

Alsop (515) adds a "broad dusky tan supercilium," which is prominent here.