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Female Brewer's Blackbird

Euphagus cyanocephalus L 9" (23cm)

Illustration by Julie Zickefoose. Listen to a Brewer's blackbird.

Brewer’s blackbirds are slender, long-tailed, and have proportionately long legs. They tend to walk fairly upright, giving them a trimmer appearance than the somewhat more powerful, plump looking rusty blackbirds. The female is gray-brown with dark brown eyes.

The Brewer’s, basically a bird of western and central open country, has shown classic blackbird resourcefulness and in many areas has learned to thrive not only in agricultural settings, but even urban ones. It’s not uncommon to see Brewer’s blackbirds foraging in parking lots and along sidewalks, and the species appears to be increasing in population and expanding its range eastward.

The flight call is a harsh ket, song is a wheezy que-ee or k-seee.

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