| Rusty blackbird | |
|---|---|
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| Male in non-breeding plumage | |
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| Female | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Icteridae |
| Genus: | Euphagus |
| Species: | E. carolinus |
| Binomial name | |
| Euphagus carolinus (Muller, 1776) | |
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| Range ofE. carolinus Breeding range Wintering range | |
Therusty blackbird (Euphagus carolinus) is a medium-sizedNew 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 theboreal forest andmuskeg across northernCanada, and migrating southeast to theUnited States during winter.
Formerly abundant, the rusty blackbird has undergone one of the most rapid declines of any abundant bird species inNorth America in recent years, for reasons that are not well understood.
Adults have a pointed bill and a pale yellow eye. They have blackplumage with faint green and purple gloss; the female is greyer. "Rusty" refers to the brownish winter plumage. They resemble the western member of the same genus, theBrewer's blackbird; however, Brewer's has a longer bill and the male's head isiridescent green.
| Standard Measurements[3][4] | |
|---|---|
| length | 8.5–9.8 in (220–250 mm) |
| weight | 60 g (2.1 oz) |
| wingspan | 14 in (360 mm) |
| wing | 110.5–117.4 mm (4.35–4.62 in) |
| tail | 85–94.5 mm (3.35–3.72 in) |
| culmen | 19–21.9 mm (0.75–0.86 in) |
| tarsus | 29.5–33 mm (1.16–1.30 in) |
Their breeding habitat is wettemperate coniferous forests andmuskeg acrossCanada,New England, theUpper Peninsula of Michigan, theAdirondack Mountains inNew York andAlaska. Birds usually nest at the edge of ponds and wetlands with the cup nest located in a tree or dense shrub, often over the water. Emerging dragonflies and their larvae are important food items during the summer.
These birdsmigrate to theeastern andsoutheastern United States, into parts of theGrain Belt, sometimes straying intoMexico. Additional vagrants have been reported innGreenland andRussianSiberia.
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Rusty blackbirds forage on wet ground or in shallow water, mainly eatinginsects, crustaceans, small fish during the breeding season.[5][6] In winter, their diet is more flexible, and contains grains (e.g., corn and rice) and other seeds.[6][7] In fragmented landscapes, overwintering populations may also rely on themast of seed-producing trees, such as pecans and oaks.[8] They very rarely will attack smallpasserinebirds in periods of extreme food shortage.[9]
They feed in flocks during migration and on the wintering grounds, both in conspecific and mixed-flocks alongside red-winged blackbirds, common grackles, and European starlings.[10] They more often roost with other blackbirds; some small roosts are in brushy vegetation in old fields and others are in massive mixed flocks—sometimes in the urban areas.[citation needed]
The species nests relatively early for a boreal forest bird. They linger in the boreal zone to complete theirmolt. Their autumn migration is slow, with birds often remaining in the northern states well into December; spring migration is much more rapid. The largest wintering concentrations are found in the lowerMississippi Valley, with smaller concentrations in thePiedmont and southAtlantic coastal plain.
Fairly quiet in fall migration and most of the winter, both males and females will sing (particularly on warm days) in the late winter and spring. The song consists of gurgling and high-pitched squeaks.
Rusty blackbirds have declined significantly in recent decades. The reasons are unclear, buthabitat loss is likely a major contributor to the decline. The habitat loss is likely due to multiple factors, including development for oil, gas, and mining industries, hydroelectric projects, and the clearing of forests for forestry.[11] Mercury contamination may be a problem for populations in northeastern North America. Rarer than previously believed, it was uplisted from a species of Least Concern to Vulnerable status on the 2007IUCN Red List.[12][13] Deliberate poisoning of mixed-species blackbird flocks, targetingbrown-headed cowbird,common grackle andred-winged blackbird, in the southeastern U.S. may also be playing a role; there is currently no estimate of the number of rusty blackbirds killed by these poisonings.[11] In the eastern part of its range,acid rain may be decreasing the availability of calcium-rich invertebrates that the rusty blackbird depends on for food.[11]
Additionally,citizen science projects such as theNorth American Breeding Bird Survey andChristmas Bird Count have determined that rusty blackbirds have dropped 85%–98% in the past 40 years. This is very worrisome for many people, as scientists are desperately trying to figure out what exactly went wrong. Sighting submission services such aseBird are encouraging birders to keep track of rusty blackbirds. TheInternational Rusty Blackbird Working Group has been actively coordinating and conducting research on this species since 2005.
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