When I saw a small flock of blackbirds on Monday at my local marsh, I assumed that they were Red-winged Blackbirds, but a closer look showed that I was wrong—they were Rusty Blackbirds (Euphagus carolinus), a species that I had never photographed before.
The shape of the body seems similar to that of the Red-winged Blackbird, but the coloration is different and the pale yellow eyes of the Rusty Blackbird are particularly distinctive. They also seem to prefer a flooded area of the woods and I observed them pecking about in the shallow water, periodically flipping over wet leaves.
The Cornell Lab of Ornithology notes that the Rusty Blackbird is one of North America’s most rapidly declining species, whose population has plunged an estimated 85-99 percent over the past forty years and scientists are not sure why.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Great details to go with your photos. Thanks for the post.
That’s an excellent shot of a bird that I’ve never seen or even heard of.
I’m finding that there are lots of birds around that are just waiting to be “discovered” by me–the more I look, the more it seems that I see.
I’ve never seen one of these and had no idea they were so rare. I guess it pays to look at every bird in a flock just to see what stray rare individuals might be there.
Sometimes, I’ve read, the flocks are intermixed, but I think most members of the little flock that I saw were Rusty Blackbirds.
They are becoming rare in the Chicago area too. Supposedly they are here during the summer but I only see them during migration. They stop at some of the wetland areas I visit and I’m always watching for them.
Do you record your bird observations on eBird? eBird is working with scientists to determine why this species is declining and what they can do to help them survive. They are especially looking for sightings in March-April of 2014. Just thought I’d give you a head-up if you are interested.
Unlocking the Rusty Blackbird Mystery
I don’t record my observations on eBird, partly because I am not really confident in my identification skills. Maybe by next spring I will feel skilled enough to do so,
Ha! I looked at the photo and title and thot you were making up names for birds!
It’s hard to believe, but it’s a name that actually fits the bird (at least for this time of the year and this age and this gender).
We’re in their winter range here in southern Illinois. You can sometimes hear their “rusty wheel” call when flying in the large mixed flocks.
Yet another great picture – you must have enough to produce your own book!
I don’t know about a book, but I have been fortunate recently to get some pretty good shots. Maybe I’ll do a calendar with some of them to see how they look in print.
[…] (Euphagus carolinus). If you want to compare the female with the male, check out my earlier posting with an image of a […]