Rusty Blackbird - blame him for all your blackbird problems

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Rusty Blackbird

The Rusty Blackbird, Euphagus carolinus, is a medium-sized blackbird. “Rusty” refers to the brownish winter plumage. They have black plumage; the female is greyer.

Rusty Blackbird ID Tips:

• Length: 8 inches
• Sharply-pointed bill
• Pale eye
• Often found in wet wooded areas

Male:
• Entirely black plumage in Spring and Summer
• Variable amount of brown feather edges in Fall and Winter often with pale supercilium and malar streak

Female:
• Breeding plumage similar to male but grayer
• Winter plumage similar to male’s

Similar species:
Male Rusty Blackbird similar to male Brewer’s Blackbird but rusty blackbirds lacks purple iridescence. Female Brewer’s Blackbird has a dark eye. Grackles are larger with much longer tails. Cowbirds are smaller with more conical bills.

The song of a Rusty Blackbird resembles the grating of a rusty hinge. Their breeding habitat is wet temperate coniferous forests and muskeg across Canada and Alaska. Their nest is located in a tree or dense shrub, usually over water or very close to water.

Rusty Blackbirds migrate to the eastern and southeastern United States and some parts of the Grain Belt. Some of these blackbirds stray into Mexico at times. The blackbirds forage on wet ground or in shallow water, mainly eating insects and some seeds. They will attack small passerine birds, and have been known to kill species as large as Common Snipe.

Rusty Blackbirds have declined significantly in recent decades. The reasons are unclear, but habitat loss is likely a major contributor to the decline. It is difficult to study these birds in their breeding habitat due to the terrain and distant from populations.

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Rusty Blackbird
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