Photo by Marcel Gauthier
Location: Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec, Canada, Jan. 2006
- Euphagus carolinus
Identification
21-25cm (9 ins)
- Medium-long tail
- Narrow, pointed bill
- Rusty feather edges over much of their plumage in autumn and winter
- Pale yellow eyes
Breeding male
- Black, with a greenish sheen
Breeding female
- Slate-grey
"Rusty" refers to the brownish winter plumage, which wears off by the spring, giving the all dark plumage.
Similar Species
Less glossy than the Brewer's Blackbird.
Distribution
Canada and Alaska; also found in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and the Adirondacks in New York. Winters throughout the eastern United States south of New York.
Rare vagrant in western states. Accidental vagrant to Greenland.
Uncommon and declining, rare in the west.
Taxonomy
Subspecies
This is a polytypic species[1] consisting of 2 subspecies:
- E. c. carolinus:
- N Alaska and n Yukon to ne US; > to Gulf States
- E. c. nigrans Newfoundland, Magdalen I., and Nova Scotia; > to Georgia
Habitat
Bogs and swampy areas, almost always found near water. Wet woodlands.
Behaviour
Feeds on the ground in boggy, muddy areas. Diet includes insects and plant matter, but it sometimes attacks and eats other birds. It has been documented feeding on sparrows, robins, and snipe, among others.
Breeding
Nests in the far north of N. America. The cup shaped nest is built in a tree or dense shrub, usually over water.
Vocalisation
Song: a high squeaky kssh-dlleee.
Call: a harsh chuck.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2015. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2015, with updates to August 2015. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- All About Birds
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Rusty Blackbird. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 19 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Rusty_Blackbird
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.
