Brewer's Blackbird

Euphagus cyanocephalusOrder: PASSERIFORMES Family: Blackbirds and Orioles (Icteridae)

Codes: Common Name: BRBL Scientific Name: EUPCYC ITIS Taxonomic No.: 179094

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

General

Brewer's Blackbird: Medium-sized blackbird with purple gloss on head and neck and green gloss on body and wings. Eyes are yellow. Female is entirely dark gray-brown with darker wings and tail, and dark eyes. Juvenile resembles female, has yellow eyes.

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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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

Brewer's Blackbird

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.

● Song: Breathy, creaky 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

4 and 6 letter alpha codes

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

Field Guide to Birds of North America