![]() Western Meadowlarks are part of the blackbird family and are about the size of a Robin with shades of brown and white upperparts and a black V-shaped band across the bright yellow chest that turns gray in winter. With their bright yellow bellies and melodious song, Western Meadowlarks can brighten up your day. How Frequently Blackbirds are Spotted in Summer and WinterĢ5 Species of Blackbird in North America:Ģ5 Species of Blackbirds in North America 1. The birds in this list are ordered by how frequently they are spotted in the state, from most frequent to least frequent, according to bird watchers’ checklists for the state submitted to ebird. This guide will help you identify the species of blackbirds spotted in North America according to avibase. Many blackbirds migrate, especially from more northern areas, and check out the end of the article to see how common each blackbird is in summer or winter to help you know when to look for them. In fact, Bobolinks have decreased by up to 60% in the last 50 years, in part due to persecution and declining habitat. Some orioles, on the other hand, build elaborate hanging nests.īlackbirds can strongly force their bills open to allow them to prize open gaps to get to hidden food, but most birds cannot do this.ĭue to their ability to devour vast quantities of seeds and grains, Blackbirds are considered an agricultural pest. Nests are a fascinating subject when it comes to blackbirds as some don’t build them at all, like cowbirds, which instead lay their eggs in other species’ nests for the host family to raise their young. Male and female blackbirds can vary greatly in size and color, with males being up to 60% heavier than females and some having much brighter coloration. Of the 25 species of blackbirds in North America, 24 species are recognized on state checklists as regularly occurring, an additional one species is considered rare or accidental, and 4 of these are on the red list of endangered species in some way. Of the 103 New World Blackbirds, there are 25 species spotted in North America, including Blackbirds, Orioles, Meadowlarks, Cowbirds, Grackles, and Bobolinks. They are classed as New World Blackbirds in North America to distinguish them from European Blackbirds which are part of the Thrush family. Lots to see here.Whether you consider them noisy pests or intelligent and bright acrobats, there is no doubt that blackbirds are fascinating birds.Īlthough named “blackbirds,” they are, in fact, often brightly colored and are all the Icteridae family, which are common songbirds. The blog tells the whole story, just not in any logical order. I first began learning these techniques in 1978. It is about a few things my specialty in reproductions of 17th-century oak furniture, the use of hand woodworking tools, carving wooden spoons & bowls – and other pursuits involving hardwoods “riven” or split from a log. The flock gets bigger for a while, then it will taper off in a while…some of these birds leave here in the autumn, but some winter-over now. Once the large flocks begin to move, the whole thing only lasts about a minute, maybe a minute & 1/2.Ī short video from 2 weeks ago. ![]() When they get up over me, they begin to catch the sunlight…they’re almost all red-winged blackbirds ( Agelaius phoeniceus) and common grackles ( Quiscalus quiscula) as far as I can tell.Īs they get up in the sky, there’s two (or more) places to watch – those up there…Īnd the larger flocks now moving up to take their place…Ī few pictures as I tried to follow the whole flock both coming up and across the sky… They begin to leave those trees in flocks that at first seem large… It’s easiest to see them on bare or nearly bare branches against the sky – but they’re on every branch regardless. Right about the middle of this photo – (shooting this stuff is awful, it shows me all the dust on my cameras’ sensors) ![]() After a while they begin to fly up into the treetops across the river. You can hear them before you can see them. It begins down river from us, in the phragmites in the distance in this photo I try to get down to the river most mornings to see it. Each year at this time, they get up in huge flocks and come out of the marsh right as the sun is coming over the trees. ![]() Time for my annual late-summer post about the flocks of blackbirds in our marsh.
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