Rusty Blackbirds
You may think the birds in these photos are Common Grackles, but they’re actually Rusty Blackbirds, much less common members of our native blackbird family. A Rusty Blackbird is much smaller than a grackle, with a shorter tail and a more slender bill. They’re about the same size as a Red-winged Blackbird. They get their name from the rust-colored tips of the new feathers they grow each fall. Those feather tips wear off over the course of the winter, changing their color to glossy black. You can still see hints of the rust color on the back of the blackbird photographed in the mud.
Most of the year, Rusty Blackbirds eat insects, spiders, and snails, often captured in wetlands or the edges of streams. During the winter they also eat grain, seeds, and fruit. They visit bird feeders, but only rarely. Rusty Blackbirds spend the winter across the eastern United States, especially along the Atlantic Coast and in the lower Mississippi River Valley. In the summer, they nest in forested wetlands across Canada and Alaska (farther north than any other North American blackbird), with a few nesting as far south as Maine and the Adirondack Mountains in New York.
Unfortunately, Rusty Blackbirds are at the center of one of North America’s most puzzling bird mysteries. Their population has declined by 85 to 95 percent since the 1970s, and no one is sure why. Hypotheses include loss of forested wetlands in the eastern United States, breeding habitat degradation due to climate change, or poisoning (the poison is often meant for other birds like European Starlings). Additionally, many Rusty Blackbirds show unexpectedly high concentrations of mercury in their blood. There are still an estimated 6.8 million Rusty Blackbirds in North America, but that is all that remains of more than 100 million in the mid 1900s. Rusty Blackbirds are classified as a “Common Bird in Steep Decline,” and teams of researchers around the country are focused on figuring out what is happening to these birds, and how we might be able to help them.
Rusty Blackbird in York County (March 2025)
Rusty Blackbird in Schuylkill County (April 2016)
Rusty Blackbird in York County (March 2025)
Rusty Blackbirds
You may think the birds in these photos are Common Grackles, but they’re actually Rusty Blackbirds, much less common members of our native blackbird family. A Rusty Blackbird is much smaller than a grackle, with a shorter tail and a more slender bill. They’re about the same size as a Red-winged Blackbird. They get their name from the rust-colored tips of the new feathers they grow each fall. Those feather tips wear off over the course of the winter, changing their color to glossy black. You can still see hints of the rust color on the back of the blackbird photographed in the mud.
Most of the year, Rusty Blackbirds eat insects, spiders, and snails, often captured in wetlands or the edges of streams. During the winter they also eat grain, seeds, and fruit. They visit bird feeders, but only rarely. Rusty Blackbirds spend the winter across the eastern United States, especially along the Atlantic Coast and in the lower Mississippi River Valley. In the summer, they nest in forested wetlands across Canada and Alaska (farther north than any other North American blackbird), with a few nesting as far south as Maine and the Adirondack Mountains in New York.
Unfortunately, Rusty Blackbirds are at the center of one of North America’s most puzzling bird mysteries. Their population has declined by 85 to 95 percent since the 1970s, and no one is sure why. Hypotheses include loss of forested wetlands in the eastern United States, breeding habitat degradation due to climate change, or poisoning (the poison is often meant for other birds like European Starlings). Additionally, many Rusty Blackbirds show unexpectedly high concentrations of mercury in their blood. There are still an estimated 6.8 million Rusty Blackbirds in North America, but that is all that remains of more than 100 million in the mid 1900s. Rusty Blackbirds are classified as a “Common Bird in Steep Decline,” and teams of researchers around the country are focused on figuring out what is happening to these birds, and how we might be able to help them.
Rusty Blackbird in Schuylkill County (April 2016)
About The Author
Dan Hinnebusch is the Ornithologist for Wild Birds Unlimited. Click to learn more.