Blackbird, Rusty

Physical Features

The Rusty Blackbird is one of North America's most rapidly declining species and is listed as a vulnerable species. The population has plunged an estimated 85-99 percent over the past forty years and scientists are completely puzzled as to the cause. The Rusty Blackbird is a medium-sized blackbird with a slender bill and a medium-length tail. Their bill is slightly decurved. In winter, male Rusty Blackbirds are recognized by their rusty featheredges, pale yellow eye and buffy eyebrow. Females are gray-brown and also have rusty featheredges with pale eyes and bold eyebrows, contrasting with darker feathers right around their eyes. Breeding males are dark glossy black in color. Rusty Blackbirds weigh between 1.7-2.8oz/47-80g and they have an average body length between 8.3-9.8in/21-23cm with a wingspan of 14.6on/37cm. The Rusty Blackbird is slightly larger and longer-tailed than the Red-winged Blackbird and it also has a more slender bill. The Rusty Blackbird is thinner-billed and shorter-tailed than the Common Grackle, which it resembles.

Habitat

Rusty Blackbirds nest in spruce bogs and other wet, forested areas throughout Canada and Alaska. They often nest in small clear-cuts or openings caused by natural disturbances. During migration and winter, they inhabit wooded swamps, but forage in open areas and cattle feedlots. They typically prefer wooded areas more than other Blackbird species do. Their breeding habitat is wet temperate coniferous forests and muskeg across Canada and Alaska. They migrate to the eastern and southeastern United States, into parts of the Grain Belt and sometimes stray into Mexico.

Diet

Rusty Blackbirds feed on the ground by walking and flipping over leaves and debris. They tend to hold their long tail up when feeding on the ground, which can help identify them amongst a flock of Red-winged Blackbirds. They also feed at pond or wetland edges, sticking their heads underwater to take food from the bottom. Rusty Blackbirds eat many aquatic insects and other small invertebrates. They also eat seeds and waste grain, especially during winter. They are known to occasionally attack and eats other birds, including sparrows, robins, and snipe, among others.

Meat

Rusty Blackbird meat is tasty with a gamey flavor.

Behavior

Rusty Blackbirds often gather in small flocks in winter, sometimes mix with Common Grackles, Red-winged Blackbirds and European Starlings. They may breed in small, loose colonies, but isolated, monogamous pairs are the norm. Nests are usually constructed close to or directly above the water, in dense trees or shrubs. The female builds a bulky open cup with a lichen foundation, a body of grass, twigs, and decaying plant material, and a fine grass lining. She incubates 3 to 5 eggs for about two weeks and then broods the young after they hatch. Both sexes feed the young, which leave the nest about 11 days after hatching. They cannot fly when they leave the nest, but learn within a few days. The song of the Rusty Blackbird consists of two or three notes, followed by a higher, rising note, like the creak of rusty hinges. It produces a harsh 'chek' call.

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