Rusty Blackbird

Rusty Blackbird, breeding male; Churchill, Manitoba, Canada in mid-June.

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Rusty Blackbird, adult female; Ventura Co. CA; December

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1. Cool Facts
2. Description
3. Similar Species
4. Sound
5. Range
6. Habitat
7. Food
8. Behavior
9. Reproduction
10. Conservation Status
11. Other Names

The Rusty Blackbird breeds in swampy wooded areas of Canada and Alaska. Relatively uncommon, it has evidently undergone a steady population decline since the mid-1960s.

Cool Facts

• Like most members of the blackbird family, the Rusty Blackbird undergoes only one molt per year. The change in appearance between winter and summer results from the rust-colored feather tips of "winter plumage" wearing off and leaving behind the smooth black or gray "breeding plumage."
• The Rusty Blackbird feeds mostly on insects and plant matter, but it sometimes attacks and eats other birds. It has been documented feeding on sparrows, robins, and snipe, among others.

Description

• Size: 21-25 cm (8-10 in)
• Wingspan: 37 cm (15 in)
• Weight: 47-80 g (1.66-2.82 ounces)

• Medium-sized songbird.
• Medium-long tail.
• Narrow, pointed bill.
• Breeding male is black, with a greenish sheen.
• Breeding female is slate-gray.
• Both sexes show rusty feather edging over much of their plumage in fall and winter.
• Eyes yellow.

• Rounded tail.
• Bill black.
• Legs and feet black.

Sex Differences

In spring and summer, male is black and female is gray. Both sexes show rusty feather edges in winter, but ground color of male is black, while that of female is gray.

Male

Breeding Plumage: Entirely black with dull metallic greenish sheen on upperparts, slightly bluish on crown. Underparts duller.
Nonbreeding (Basic) Plumage: Black feathers with rusty tips, broadest on face, nape, and back. Tawny eyestripe.

Female

Breeding Plumage: Back dark gray. Face and underparts slightly paler gray. Wings and tail blackish. Eyes yellow.
Nonbreeding (Basic) Plumage: Dark feathers tipped with rusty brown. Tawny eyestripe and buffy face.

Immature

Immature like winter adult, but more rusty overall.

Similar Species

• Brewer's Blackbird similar, but has longer legs and longer tail. Male Brewer's Blackbird is more glossy, with a purplish cast, and shows contrast between head and body. In fall and winter, male Brewer's Blackbird shows less rusty feather edging. Female Brewer's Blackbird has dark eyes and is brownish gray rather than slate-gray. Caution: up to 10% of female Brewer's have yellow eyes.
• Common Grackle is larger, has larger and thicker bill, and longer, wedge-shaped tail.
• Shiny Cowbird male has dark eye and shorter bill.

Sound

Song consists of two or three notes, followed by a higher, rising note, like the creak of rusty hinges. Call note is a harsh "chek."

Range

Range Map

© 2004 Cornell Lab of Ornithology

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Summer Range

Breeds across most of Alaska, Canada, and northern New England.

Winter Range

Winters in the east-central United States, from eastern Nebraska to eastern Texas, and from southern Massachusetts to Florida.

Habitat

Breeds in wet forests, including areas with fens, bogs, muskeg, and beaver ponds. Winters in swamps, wet woodlands, and pond edges.

Food

In summer, mostly insects; in winter, acorns, pine seeds, and fruit.

Behavior

Foraging

Forages on ground, often in flocks. Wades in water. Flips over leaves and twigs.

Reproduction

Nest Type

Bulky bowl with an outer layer of twigs, grass, and lichens. Wet, rotting plant matter is placed in this outer layer, then dries and hardens. Placed in trees and shrubs, near water.

Egg Description

Blue-green to pale gray, with variable amount of brown markings.

Clutch Size

Condition at Hatching

Helpless with sparse down.

Conservation Status

Breeding Bird Survey data show a significant decline from 1966 to 2001. Low densities and remote breeding habitat make clear determination of trends difficult. Listed on the Audubon Watchlist.

Other Names

Quiscale rouilleux (French)

Sources used to construct this page:

Avery. M. L. 1995. Rusty Blackbird (Euphagus carolinus). In The Birds of North America, No. 200 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, and The American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C.