Brewer's Blackbird
Encyclopedia
The Brewer's Blackbird (Euphagus cyanocephalus) is a medium-sized New World blackbird
, named after the ornithologist Thomas Mayo Brewer
.
Adults have a pointed bill. Adult males have black plumage
; the female is dark grey. The male has a bright yellow eye; the female's is dark. They resemble the eastern member of the same genus, the Rusty Blackbird
; however, the Brewer's Blackbird has a shorter bill and the male's head is iridescent
purple. This bird is often mistaken for the Common Grackle
but has a shorter tail. The call is a sharp check which is also distinguishable. This bird is in a different family from the Eurasian Blackbird.
Their breeding habitat is open and semi-open areas, often near water, across central and western North America
. The cup nest can be located in various locations: in a tree, in tall grass or on a cliff. They often nest in colonies
.
These birds are often permanent residents in the west. Other birds migrate
to the southeastern United States
and Mexico
. The range of this bird has been expanding east in the Great Lakes
region.
They forage in shallow water or in fields, mainly eating seeds and insects, some berries. They sometimes catch insects in flight. They feed in flocks outside of the breeding season, sometimes with other blackbirds.
.
New World blackbird
The New World blackbirds consist of 26 species of icterid birds that share the name blackbird but do not correspond with a formal taxon...
, named after the ornithologist Thomas Mayo Brewer
Thomas Mayo Brewer
Thomas Mayo Brewer was an American naturalist.Mayo is best known as the joint author, with Baird and Ridgway, of A History of North American Birds , which was the first attempt since John James Audubon's to complete the study of American ornithology.Brewer was born in Boston...
.
Adults have a pointed bill. Adult males have black plumage
Feather
Feathers are one of the epidermal growths that form the distinctive outer covering, or plumage, on birds and some non-avian theropod dinosaurs. They are considered the most complex integumentary structures found in vertebrates, and indeed a premier example of a complex evolutionary novelty. They...
; the female is dark grey. The male has a bright yellow eye; the female's is dark. They resemble the eastern member of the same genus, the Rusty Blackbird
Rusty Blackbird
The Rusty Blackbird, Euphagus carolinus, is a medium-sized blackbird, closely related to grackles .-Appearance:...
; however, the Brewer's Blackbird has a shorter bill and the male's head is iridescent
Iridescence
Iridescence is generally known as the property of certain surfaces which appear to change color as the angle of view or the angle of illumination changes...
purple. This bird is often mistaken for the Common Grackle
Common Grackle
The Common Grackle, Quiscalus quiscula, is a large icterid.-Description:The long adult has a long dark bill, pale yellowish eyes and a long tail; its feathers appear black with purple, green or blue iridescence on the head, and primarily bronze shine in the body plumage...
but has a shorter tail. The call is a sharp check which is also distinguishable. This bird is in a different family from the Eurasian Blackbird.
Their breeding habitat is open and semi-open areas, often near water, across central and western North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. The cup nest can be located in various locations: in a tree, in tall grass or on a cliff. They often nest in colonies
Bird colony
A bird colony is a large congregation of individuals of one or more species of bird that nest or roost in close proximity at a particular location. Many kinds of birds are known to congregate in groups of varying size; a congregation of nesting birds is called a breeding colony...
.
These birds are often permanent residents in the west. Other birds migrate
Bird migration
Bird migration is the regular seasonal journey undertaken by many species of birds. Bird movements include those made in response to changes in food availability, habitat or weather. Sometimes, journeys are not termed "true migration" because they are irregular or in only one direction...
to the southeastern United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. The range of this bird has been expanding east in the Great Lakes
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
region.
They forage in shallow water or in fields, mainly eating seeds and insects, some berries. They sometimes catch insects in flight. They feed in flocks outside of the breeding season, sometimes with other blackbirds.
Protection status
The Brewer's Blackbird (Euphagus cyanocephalus) is protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918
The Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 , codified at , is a United States federal law, at first enacted in 1916 in order to implement the convention for the protection of migratory birds between the United States and Great Britain...
.
Further reading
- Martin, S. G. 2002. Brewer’s Blackbird (Euphagus cyanocephalus). In The Birds of North America, No. 616 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.
External links
- Brewer's Blackbird Species Account - Cornell Lab of Ornithology
- Brewer's Blackbird - Euphagus cyanocephalus - USGS Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter
- Brewer's Blackbird Information - South Dakota Birds and Birding