Rusty Blackbird
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| Euphagus carolinus (Muller, 1776) |
The Rusty Blackbird, Euphagus carolinus, is a medium-sized blackbird.
Adults have a pointed bill and a pale yellow eye. They have black plumage; the female is greyer. "Rusty" refers to the brownish winter plumage. They resemble the western member of the same genus, the Brewer's Blackbird; however, this bird has a longer bill and the male's head is iridescent green.
Their breeding habitat is wet temperate coniferous forests and muskeg across Canada and Alaska. The cup nest is located in a tree or dense shrub, usually over water.
These birds migrate to the southeastern United States, into parts of the Grain Belt.
They forage on wet ground or in shallow water, mainly eating insects and some seeds. They will attack small passerine birds, and have been known to kill species as large as Common Snipe. They feed in flocks during migration, often joining other blackbirds.
The song resembles the grating of a rusty hinge.
Rusty Blackbirds have declined significantly in recent decades. The reasons are unclear, but habitat loss is likely a major contributor to the decline.
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[edit] References
- BirdLife International (2004). Euphagus carolinus. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 12 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
- New World Blackbirds by Jaramillo and Burke, ISBN 0-7136-4333-1
[edit] External Links
- Rusty Blackbird Species Account - Cornell Lab of Ornithology
- Rusty Blackbird Information and Photos - South Dakota Birds and Birding
- Rusty Blackbird Euphagus carolinus - USGS Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter
[edit] Further reading
[edit] Book
- Avery, M. L. 1995. Rusty Blackbird (Euphagus carolinus). In The Birds of North America, No. 200 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, and The American Ornithologists’ Union, Washington, D.C.
[edit] Articles
- Besser JF. (1978). Birds and Sunflower. In Carter, Jack F (Ed) Agronomy, No 19 Sunflower Science and Technology Xx+505p Illus American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, Soil Science Society of America, Inc, Publishers: Madison, Wis, USA Isbn 0-89118-054-0 263-278, 1978.
- Campbell RW. (1974). Rusty Blackbirds Prey on Sparrows. Wilson Bulletin. vol 86, no 3. p. 291-293.
- Cicchino AC & Castro DC. (1996). Preliminary revision of the species of the genus Brueelia Keler, 1936 (Phthiraptera, Philopteridae) parasitizing Icterinae (Aves, Passeriformes, Fringillidae). Graellsia. vol 52, no 0. p. 3-30.
- Crase FT & Dehaven RW. (1976). Selected Bibliography on the Food Habits of North American Blackbirds. U S Fish & Wildlife Service Special Scientific Report Wildlife. vol 192, p. 1-20.
- Dickson JG & Noble RE. (1978). Vertical Distribution of Birds in a Louisiana USA Bottomland Hardwood Forest. Wilson Bulletin. vol 90, no 1. p. 19-30.
- Dolbeer RA, Woronecki PP, Stickley ARJ & White SB. (1978). Agricultural Impact of a Winter Population of Blackbirds and Starlings. Wilson Bulletin. vol 90, no 1. p. 31-44.
- Dyer MI & Kakalec NJ. (1976). Studies on Diet Overlap among Icterids Crows and Starlings. Proceedings Bird Control Seminar. vol 7, p. 136-146.
- Fritzell EK & Thorne DH. (1984). Birds Predominate in the Winter Diet of a Barn Owl Tyto-Alba. Wilson Bulletin. vol 96, no 2.
- Garner KM. (1978). Management of Blackbird and Starling Winter Roost Problems in Kentucky and Tennessee USA. Proceedings of the Vertebrate Pest Conference. vol 8, p. 54-59.
- Grass A. (1969). Rusty Blackbird at Pitt Meadows British-Columbia. Murrelet. vol 50, no 2.
- Greenberg R & Droege S. (1999). On the decline of the Rusty Blackbird and the use of ornithological literature to document long-term population trends. Conservation Biology. vol 13, no 3. p. 553-559.
- Hudon J & Muir AD. (1996). Characterization of the reflective materials and organelles in the bright irides of North American blackbirds (Icterinae). Pigment Cell Research. vol 9, no 2. p. 96-104.
- Hunter JE. (1994). Further observations of head-down displays by brown-headed cowbirds. Western Birds. vol 25, no 1. p. 63-65.
- Larue P, Belanger L & Huot J. (1995). Riparian edge effects on boreal balsam fir bird communities. Canadian Journal of Forest Research. vol 25, no 4. p. 555-566.
- Long RC & Russ A. (1968). Rusty Blackbird Kills House Sparrow. Ontario Field Biologist. vol 22, no 28.
- McCaskie G. (1971). Rusty Blackbirds in California and Western North America. California Birds. vol 2, no 2. p. 55-68.
- Meanley B & Royall WCJ. (1976). Nationwide Estimates of Blackbirds and Starlings. Proceedings Bird Control Seminar. vol 7, p. 39-40.
- Norment CJ, Hall A & Hendricks P. (1999). Important bird and mammal records in the Thelon River valley, Northwest Territories: Range expansions and possible causes. Canadian Field Naturalist. vol 113, no 3. p. 375-385.
- Peck MK, Coady G, Binsfeld G, Konze KR, Hodgson PC & Furino S. (2004). Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas expeditions yield additional information on solitary sandpiper nests. Ontario Birds. vol 22, no 3. p. 120-124.
- Robertson RJ, Weatherhead PJ, Phelan FJS, Holroyd GL & Lester N. (1976). Species Composition Food Habits and the Economic and Ecologic Impact of Winter Blackbird Flocks. Proceedings Bird Control Seminar. vol 7, p. 155-162.
- Rybczynski R & Riker DK. (1981). A Temperate Species-Rich Assemblage of Migrant Frugivorous Birds. Auk. vol 98, no 1. p. 176-179.
- Smith TG. (1973). The Birds of the Holman Region Western Victoria Island. Canadian Field Naturalist. vol 87, no 1. p. 35-42.
- Tallman D. (1990). Banding Recoveries of South Dakota USA Birds Part 2 Larks Corvids Starling and Blackbirds. South Dakota Bird Notes. vol 42, no 2. p. 29-36.
- Wass ML. (1975). Hitchcock Revisited Burgeoning Blackbirds. ASB Bulletin. vol 22, no 2.
