Rusty Blackbird Description
The Rusty Blackbird, Euphagus carolinus, is a medium-sized blackbird. This bird is closely related to grackles. In fact Rusty Grakle is an older name for the species.

Adult Rusty Blackbirds have a pointed bill. Their eyes are a pale yellow. As far as plumage they have black plumage. Female plumage is greyer. The “Rusty” in their name refers to the brownish winter plumage in which they are frequently seen.

These blackbirds resemble the Brewer’s Blackbird, the western member of the same genus. Rusty Blackbirds however, have a longer bill and the male’s Rusty Blackbird’s head is iridescent green.

An estimated 85% of Rusty Blackbirds North American population breed in the Boreal Forests of Canada.

Quick Specs

STATUS: Fairly common
RANGE: Summers throughout much of Canada and Alaska.
FALL MIGRATION: Winters in the eastern half of the United States
SPECIAL HABITAT: They inhabit wooded wetlands during the breeding season.
Size: L: 20-25 cm. (approximately 8 inches)
Weight – Males: 65 grams
Weight – Females: 55 grams
Dimorphic – both males and females, in size and color. This species is seasonally dimorphic.
Fall Male: dark brown to blackish body, rust-tipped feathers; brown eyebrow, mustache stripes
Fall Female: upperparts rusty brown, with grey rump and buffy eyebrow; underparts buffy
NESTLING: altricial and downy; thin, dark brown, down long
NEST: Nests in dense growths of evergreens, typically less than 10 feet high. Also uses dead trees or clumps of deciduous bushes along streamsides for nesting
EGGS: They lay four or five eggs. One is deposited each day
JUVENILE: eye may not be yellow, they resemble fall adults
FOOD: This bird forages by gleaning insects, waste grain, weed seeds, and wild fruit. They search the ground in fields, pastures, and the grassy edges of wetlands. They also wade in shallow water for food.
SONG: Low gurgling followed by a higher whistle.
Similar Species: Brewer’s Blackbird
Conservation Status: Numbers have declined significantly since the 1960s.