Rusty Blackbird or Brewer’s Blackbird ?

Song

Audio by Richard E. Webster

There's more to learn about Rusty Blackbird

Brewer’s Blackbird

Euphagus cyanocephalus

How to recognise a Brewer's blackbird?

General appearance

The Brewer’s blackbird is a medium-sized songbird with a slender body and a rounded head. It has a pointed bill and relatively long legs. The overall plumage is glossy with an iridescent sheen under certain lighting conditions, predominantly appearing black from a distance.

Male vs female

Male Brewer’s blackbirds are characterized by their glossy black overall color, with a purplish sheen on the head and greenish gloss on the body and wings. Females, however, display a more subdued appearance, with brownish-gray plumage, pale throat, and lack the iridescence that males exhibit. Their eyes are darker than those of males.

Juvenile

Juvenile Brewer’s blackbirds resemble females but are generally duller in tone. They have brownish feathers with a streaky appearance and lack the iridescence seen in adults. Unlike adults, their eyes are typically dark brown rather than the yellow seen in mature males.

Size

7.9 - 9.8 in/2.0 - 2.4 oz

Habitat

Primary habitat

The Brewer's blackbird prefers open and semi-open landscapes ranging from fields, prairies, farms to parks. It's often seen in shrubby areas near water, aspen groves in mountain meadows, and shores.

Additional range

Moreover, this bird adapts well to human-altered environments; farmland, irrigated or plowed fields, suburban lawns, and city parking lots are common places to find it.

Range Map

What do Brewer’s blackbirds like to eat?

Natural diet

The Brewer's blackbird primarily feeds on a diverse array of insects and seeds. Its insect diet includes grasshoppers, crickets, beetles, aphids, caterpillars, and termites, as well as some spiders, snails, and tiny crustaceans. Additionally, it consumes many seeds from grasses and weeds and also indulges in waste grain. During the summer months, its diet is complemented by berries.

Bird feeders

Brewer's blackbirds are known to visit bird feeders, where they commonly eat grains and seeds. They often consume cracked corn, millet, and sunflower seeds. While they prefer natural foraging, feeders provide an additional food source, especially in urban and suburban areas.

What does a Brewer's blackbird sound like?

The Brewer's blackbird produces an array of vocalizations including gurgles, squawks, and whistles. Its call patterns can be described as either falling or rising. The call types vary considerably from a buzzing sound to chatter, chirp or chip, and whistle. These sounds give a glimpse into the bird's complex communication system.

Call

Audio by Paul Marvin

Call

Audio by Paul Marvin

Call

Audio by Jonathon Jongsma

/ CC BY-SA 3.0

Call

Audio by Jonathon Jongsma

/ CC BY-SA 3.0

There's more to learn about Brewer’s Blackbird

Rusty Blackbird

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Brewer’s Blackbird

Rusty Blackbird

Euphagus carolinus

General appearance

Rusty Blackbirds are medium-sized blackbirds with striking seasonal changes in plumage. In winter, they exhibit a distinctive rusty-edged appearance with rusty or rufous edges to their dark feathers, and pale yellow eyes. In summer, their feathers become mostly black or dark brown, losing the rusty edges. They have slender, slightly curved bills and relatively long tails, which are typical traits of blackbirds.

Male vs female

Males in breeding plumage are glossy black with greenish or bluish iridescence, whereas females are more subdued with dark gray or brownish plumage. During the non-breeding season, both sexes look similar with rust-colored feather edges; however, males often display richer, darker hues than females, who maintain a slightly browner overall appearance.

Juvenile

Juvenile Rusty Blackbirds have a more uniformly brown coloration compared to adults, lacking the glossy adult sheen. They are primarily a dull brown with streaked underparts and dark eyes, distinguishing them from adults whose eyes are pale yellow. As they mature, juveniles gradually acquire the adult plumage patterns and eye color.

Size

8.3 - 9.8 in/1.6 - 2.8 oz

There's more to learn about Rusty Blackbird

Brewer’s Blackbird

Euphagus cyanocephalus

General appearance

The Brewer’s blackbird is a medium-sized songbird with a slender body and a rounded head. It has a pointed bill and relatively long legs. The overall plumage is glossy with an iridescent sheen under certain lighting conditions, predominantly appearing black from a distance.

Male vs female

Male Brewer’s blackbirds are characterized by their glossy black overall color, with a purplish sheen on the head and greenish gloss on the body and wings. Females, however, display a more subdued appearance, with brownish-gray plumage, pale throat, and lack the iridescence that males exhibit. Their eyes are darker than those of males.

Juvenile

Juvenile Brewer’s blackbirds resemble females but are generally duller in tone. They have brownish feathers with a streaky appearance and lack the iridescence seen in adults. Unlike adults, their eyes are typically dark brown rather than the yellow seen in mature males.

Size

7.9 - 9.8 in/2.0 - 2.4 oz

There's more to learn about Brewer’s Blackbird

How to tell the Rusty Blackbird from the Brewer’s Blackbird

Visual differences

Rusty Blackbird has seasonal plumage changes; in winter, it has rusty-edged dark feathers and pale yellow eyes, whereas in summer, it becomes mostly black or dark brown. Males exhibit a glossy iridescent sheen. Brewer's Blackbird males are glossy black with a purplish head and greenish body sheen, while females are brownish-gray. Rusty Blackbirds have slender, slightly curved bills and paler eyes, while Brewer's Blackbirds have pointed bills and usually darker eyes. Rusty Blackbirds are 8.3-9.8 inches long; Brewer's Blackbirds are 7.9-9.8 inches long.

Key differences and behavior

Rusty Blackbirds and Brewer's Blackbirds differ significantly in behavior and habitat preferences. Rusty Blackbirds favor northern wet coniferous forests and bogs, while Brewer's Blackbirds adapt to open fields and human-altered environments. Socially, Rusty Blackbirds are often found in small flocks or nesting in isolation, occasionally forming loose colonies, contrasted by the highly social Brewer's Blackbirds, which nest in colonies up to 100 strong. Dietary habits also vary: Rusty Blackbirds consume aquatic insects, small fish, and berries, with minimal feeder visits, whereas Brewer's Blackbirds are excellent farm pest controllers, eating various insects and frequently visiting bird feeders. Both species contribute to chick-rearing, with Brewer's Blackbirds also adapting well to urban environments by nesting in gardens.

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