Blackbird, Brewer's

Physical Features

The Brewer's Blackbird is a small songbird. It has a fairly long tail, balanced by a full body with long legs, a round head and a long, thick-based beak. When males are perched the tail looks widened and rounded at the tip. The adult male is glossy black and displays glistening, purple-green plumage during the breeding season. Non-breeding and year-old males are brownish-black, with less iridescence than mature males in breeding season. Males have a staring yellow eye and a blue sheen on the head, blending to greenish iridescence on the body. The male is 21-25cm/ 8.3-9.8 inches in length, with a wingspan of 37 cm/14.6 inches and a body weight between 60–86g /2.1–3 ounces. Females are plainer brown, darkest on the wings and tail, with a dark eye. Immature Brewer's Blackbirds resemble females but appear washed out. Females are 20-22 cm/7.9-8.7 inches in length, with a wingspan of 37-50 cm/14.6 in 19.7 inches and a body weight between 50–67 grams/1.8–2.4 ounces.

Habitat

Brewer's Blackbirds are most often found near agricultural fields that have brushy hedges, and are seen in other open areas as well, including parks, campgrounds, parking lots, lawns, golf courses, parks, city streets as well as wetlands, and suburban and urban settings. They live across the western half of North America, from sea level in southern California to more than 8,000 feet in the Rocky Mountains. Their populations cover a huge variety of natural habitats such as grasslands, marshes, meadows, woodland, coastal scrub, chaparral, and sagebrush – as well as many human-created habitats. Some Brewer's Blackbirds are year-round residents, while others (generally those that breed at higher altitudes or in more northern areas) migrate into milder areas. They most fly south for the winter, but a small number fly west away from the chilly Canadian prairies for the warmer coastal regions of British Columbia and Washington. Those that migrate move to the more moderate lowlands of the state including western interior valleys, Puget Sound, and the Columbia lowlands; or - travel farther south to areas across the southern United States and Mexico.

Diet

Brewer's Blackbirds feed on Insects, seeds, berries, and waste grain, foraging on open ground or underfoot in parks and busy streets. They sometimes catch insects in midair, or pick them off the backs of livestock, or around marshes, walking on lily pads to hunt aquatic insects. In towns, parks, and outdoor cafés. These birds will eat almost anything that's not closely guarded, and have also been seen eating small frogs, young voles, and a few kinds of nestling birds ranging from Brewer's Sparrows to young Ring-necked Pheasants. Brewer's Blackbirds are quick to notice new food sources and have been credited with helping to curb outbreaks of insect pests including weevils, cutworms, termites, grasshoppers, and tent caterpillars, among others.

Meat

Brewer's Blackbirds meat is succulent with a gamy flavor.

Behavior

Due to their long legs, Brewer's Blackbird walk haltingly, jerking their heads with each step almost as a chicken does. In flocks, Brewer's Blackbirds rise and fall as they fly. At landing, birds may circle in a slow fluttering flight before settling. Brewer's Blackbirds stick to one mate, sometimes nesting in small, loose colonies. They mostly nest in trees, but may also nest on the ground in shrubs or tall grass. The female builds a sizeable, open cup-nest of twigs, grass, weeds, and needles, lined with grass, rootlets, and feathers. She also applies mud or droppings to hold the base together. She incubates four to six eggs for 12 to 14 days, and both the male and the female feed the young. The young leave the nest 13 to 14 days after hatching. Each mated pair raises one or two broods a year. Brewer's Blackbirds usually make a “tchup” or “chuk” vocalizations. These are similar to the calls of other blackbirds, and a more intense, slightly higher pitched version of this call is used as an alarm to chase off intruders, and when carrying food for their young. Males make a clear, descending whistle, about half a second long, when they sight hawks or large birds, while quarreling females chatter at each other with a “kit-tit-tit-tit” calls.

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