Rusty Blackbird
Euphagus carolinus

Migratory Status: Short-distance migrant

PIF Population Estimate: 2 000 000

Percent of western hemisphere population breeding in boreal forest: 70%

BAM Effective Detection Radius (m) : 105.7

PIF Maximum Detection Distance (m) : 125

Canadian BBS Population trend: -12.7 (-18.6 to -6.9)

Life History

The Rusty Blackbird breeds farther north than any other blackbird species. As a result of its remote breeding habitat, little is known about its breeding biology, song, or social organization. It breeds adjacent to wetlands and along streams in coniferous and mixedwood forests, from Alaska and following the tree line east to Newfoundland and Labrador. Southward, the breeding range extends to the northeastern United States where forests transition to pure deciduous stands and grasslands become more abundant.

In breeding plumage, males are all-black with a blue-green sheen to their feathers. During the breeding season, females are gray overall, slightly darker above than below, and also have a blue-green gloss to their feathers. Unusual among blackbirds, both adults have yellow eyes, while immature birds have dark brown eyes. In the fall, both sexes lose the blue-green sheen and instead their feathers gain rusty-brown edgings. Two subspecies exist: E. c. carolinus, which occurs throughout the majority of the breeding range, and E. c. nigrans, which is found only in the Maritime Provinces.

Rusty Blackbirds overwinter in the southern United States, from Texas to Florida, to the east-central United States, and as far north as Nebraska and Massachusetts. On their wintering grounds, they also live in wet, wooded habitats, such as swamps and ponds. During migration and on the winter grounds, they may join mixed-species flocks for foraging and roosting, but on the breeding grounds they are more likely to be found on their own.

Foraging on the ground along the edges of ponds and other wetlands, the Rusty Blackbird will probe the mud and wade into water for aquatic insects and plant matter. This omnivore will eat just about anything, from seeds, acorns, fleshy fruits, and grasshoppers in the winter to aquatic insects, crustaceans, salamanders, seeds, and small fish in the summer.

Reference(s)

Avery, M. L. 1995. Rusty Blackbird (Euphagus carolinus), The Birds of North America Online, . A. Poole, Ed. Ithaca: Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology; Retrieved from The Birds of North America Online database: http://bna.cornell.edu/bna/species/200