Brewer's blackbird (''Euphagus cyanocephalus'') is a medium-sized

New World blackbird Icterids () or New World blackbirds make up a family, the Icteridae (), of small to medium-sized, often colorful, New World passerine birds. Most species have black as a predominant plumage color, often enlivened by yellow, orange, or red. The ...

. It is named after the ornithologist

Thomas Mayo Brewer Thomas Mayo Brewer (November 21, 1814 – January 24, 1880) was an American naturalist, specializing in ornithology and oology. Biography Thomas Mayo Brewer was born in Boston, the younger brother of noted Boston merchant Gardner Brewer. He ...

Description

Adult males have black

plumage Plumage ( "feather") is a layer of feathers that covers a bird and the pattern, colour, and arrangement of those feathers. The pattern and colours of plumage differ between species and subspecies and may vary with age classes. Within species, ...

with an iridescent purple head and neck and glossy bluish-green highlights on the rest of the body. The feet and legs are black and the eye is bright yellow. The female is brownish-grey with slight hints of the male's iridescence. The female's eye is dark brown, while the male's is bright yellow. Overall, they resemble the eastern member of the same genus, the

rusty blackbird The rusty blackbird (''Euphagus carolinus'') is a medium-sized New World blackbird, closely related to grackles ("rusty grackle" is an older name for the species). It is a bird that prefers wet forested areas, breeding in the boreal forest and mu ...

; the Brewer's blackbird, however, has a shorter bill and the male's head is

iridescent Iridescence (also known as goniochromism) is the phenomenon of certain surfaces that appear to gradually change color as the angle of view or the angle of illumination changes. Examples of iridescence include soap bubbles, feathers, butterfl ...

purple. This bird is often mistaken for the

common grackle The common grackle (''Quiscalus quiscula'') is a species of large icterid bird found in large numbers through much of North America. First described in 1758 by Carl Linnaeus, the common grackle has three subspecies. Adult common grackles have a ...

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 The common blackbird (''Turdus merula'') is a species of true thrush. It is also called the Eurasian blackbird (especially in North America, to distinguish it from the unrelated New World blackbirds), or simply the blackbird where this does not ...

Habitat

Their breeding habitat is open and semi-open areas, often near water, across central and western

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

. They are also very common in parking lots, and easily acclimate to the presence of people. These birds are often permanent residents in the west. Other birds

migrate Migration, migratory, or migrate may refer to: Human migration * Human migration, physical movement by humans from one region to another ** International migration, when peoples cross state boundaries and stay in the host state for some minimum le ...

to the

Southeastern United States The Southeastern United States, also referred to as the American Southeast or simply the Southeast, is a geographical region of the United States. It is located broadly on the eastern portion of the southern United States and the southern por ...

and

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

in Spring. The range of this bird has been expanding east in the

Great Lakes The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes in the mid-east region of North America that connect to the Atlantic Ocean via the Saint Lawrence River. There are five lakes ...

region.

Feeding

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. In marshy areas, they are known to stand on aquatic plants and wade in shallow water to catch insects. Some have even been known to eat smaller mammals, amphibians, and the nestlings of other birds.

Reproduction

Their clutch size can vary, usually between 3-7. Eggs are usually a tan color with darker speckles throughout to allow for camouflage. The female bird primarily incubates for 12-14 days. Nests are not built in isolation, but in colonies of up to 30 pairs. Pairs prefer to nest in areas that are around 20-40' in treetops. However, colonies that live near water may also nest in reeds and other freshwater plants. Nests are made from nearby material such as reeds, sticks and hair. They are built by the female in a cup-like shape and are bonded with mud or other securing substances. The color of the nest usually matches the coloration of the eggs and the surrounding environment as it is crucial to survival.

Protected status

The Brewer's blackbird (''Euphagus cyanocephalus'') is protected in the United States under the

Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 The Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 (MBTA), codified at (although §709 is omitted), is a United States federal law, first enacted in 1918 to implement the convention for the protection of migratory birds between the United States and Canada . ...

, however exceptions are granted under 50 CFR part 21 (2014) for animals ''committing or about to commit depredations upon ornamental or shade trees, agricultural crops, livestock, or wildlife, or when concentrated in such numbers and manner that they are a health hazard or other nuisance.''

Gallery

File:Brewer's Blackbird puffed up.JPG, ''E. cyanocephalus'' male. File:Brewer's Blackbird - female.jpg, ''E. cyanocephalus'' female. File:Euphagus cyanocephalus1.jpg, The iridescent purple head of the male is a distinguishing feature. File:Brewer's_blackbird.jpg, Male, Nevada, US File:Brewer's Blackbird4 .or (5).jpg, Male, Oregon, US File:Euphagus cyanocephalus-female calling.jpg, Female calling File:Euphagus cyanocephalus - Brewer's Blackbird - XC104520.ogg, Brewer's blackbird calling

References

External links

* * * * * * {{Taxonbar, from=Q339139

Brewer's blackbird Brewer's blackbird (''Euphagus cyanocephalus'') is a medium-sized New World blackbird. It is named after the ornithologist Thomas Mayo Brewer. Description Adult males have black Feather, plumage with an iridescent purple head and neck and glo ...

Native birds of Western Canada Native birds of the Canadian Prairies Native birds of the Western United States Native birds of the Plains-Midwest (United States) Fauna of the San Francisco Bay Area