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Female Rusty Blackbird

Euphagus carolinus L 9" (23cm)

Illustration by Julie Zickefoose. Listen to a rusty blackbird.

The rusty blackbird is primarily a bird of the wet woodlands and swamps of the East, migrating north and/or westward to breed all the way from Newfoundland to the Bering Sea.

Females, juveniles, and winter males display rich brown tones in varying degrees, whereas the male’s breeding plumage entirely lacks them. Adult female rusties have bright golden yellow eyes and a gray rump that contrasts with their browner backs.

Their call is a harsh tschak, song is a high, squeaky koo-a-lee.

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