Rusty Blackbird
Rusty Blackbird: Medium blackbird, black overall with a dull, blue-green sheen, yellow eyes. Forages on ground of wet woodlands and fields, wades in marshes or small pools of water. Feeds on insects, caterpillars, snails, crustaceans, small fish, salamanders, fruits, grains and seeds.
● Song:
"koo-a-lee-m-eek, koo-a-lee-eek", "chuck"
● Foraging & Feeding:
Rusty Blackbird: Feeds on insects, snails, small fish, waste grain, and seeds; walks on the ground while foraging.
● Breeding & nesting:
Rusty Blackbird: Four to five pale blue-green eggs with brown and gray splotches are laid in a bulky nest woven from twigs and lichens with an inner cup of mud and grass. Eggs are incubated for 14 days by the female.
● Similar species:
Rusty Blackbird: Brewer's Blackbird has whiter eyes and glossier plumage; female has dark eyes.
● Range & Habitat:
Rusty Blackbird: Breeds from Alaska across northern Canada to southern Canada, northern New York, and northern New England. Spends winters from southeastern South Dakota and southern New England south to the Gulf Coast. Preferred habitats include beaver ponds, roadsides, landfills, wet meadows, and shrubby shorelines.