Brewer's Blackbird

Euphagus cyanocephalusOrder: PASSERIFORMESFamily: Blackbirds and Orioles (Icteridae)

Breeding Location:

Forest edge, Open landscapes, Bushes, shrubs, and thickets, Marshes, freshwater, Swamps

Breeding Type:

Monogamous, May be polygamous

Breeding Population:

Egg Color:

Light green or gray green marked with gray brown

Number of Eggs:

3 - 7

Incubation Days:

12 - 14

Egg Incubator:

Female

Nest Material:

Conifer needles, grasses, and sticks with inside cup of mud or cow manure.

Migration:

Northern birds migrate

Overview

Brewer's Blackbird: Medium-sized blackbird with purple gloss on head and neck and green gloss on body and wings. Eyes are yellow. Follows farm tractors and plows. Forages on ground. Feeds on caterpillars, insects, fruits, seeds and grains. Strong, swift and direct flight with rapidly beating wings.

Range and Habitat

Brewer's Blackbird: Breeds from British Columbia, Manitoba, and Ontario south to southern California, New Mexico, and Texas; spends winters as far north as British Columbia and the Carolinas. Preferred habitats include prairies, fields, and farmyards.

Breeding and Nesting

Brewer's Blackbird: Three to seven brown-spotted, light green or gray eggs are laid in a nest made of coarse grass and twigs, reinforced with mud, lined with fine grass and hair, built on the ground or in a tree; nests in loose colonies of up to 30 pairs. Incubation ranges from 12 to 14 days and is carried out by the female.

Foraging and Feeding

Brewer's Blackbird: Eats insects, caterpillars, fruits, and seeds. Forages on the ground; forms large foraging flocks during migration and winter.

Readily Eats

Cracked Corn, Nut Meats, Suet, Millet

Vocalization

Brewer's Blackbird: Song is a breathy, creaky "ke-see." The call is a gruff "check."

Similar Species

Brewer's Blackbird: Male Rusty Blackbird lacks purple iridescence. Grackles are larger with much longer tails. Cowbirds are smaller with conical bills.

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Brewer's Blackbird

● Song: "ke-see"

● Foraging & Feeding: Brewer's Blackbird: Eats insects, caterpillars, fruits, and seeds. Forages on the ground; forms large foraging flocks during migration and winter.

● Breeding & nesting: Brewer's Blackbird: Three to seven brown-spotted, light green or gray eggs are laid in a nest made of coarse grass and twigs, reinforced with mud, lined with fine grass and hair, built on the ground or in a tree; nests in loose colonies of up to 30 pairs. Incubation ranges from 12 to 14 days and is carried out by the female.

● Similar species: Brewer's Blackbird: Male Rusty Blackbird lacks purple iridescence. Grackles are larger with much longer tails. Cowbirds are smaller with conical bills.

Flight Pattern

Strong direct flight with powerful rapid wing beats.

● Range & Habitat: Brewer's Blackbird: Breeds from British Columbia, Manitoba, and Ontario south to southern California, New Mexico, and Texas; spends winters as far north as British Columbia and the Carolinas. Preferred habitats include prairies, fields, and farmyards.

^BreedingMonogamous, May be polygamous

^Population

^MigrationNorthern birds migrate

^Weight2.4 Ounces

Field Guide to Birds of North America