Blackbird is the family name given to many kinds of small birds whose plumage, at least in the males, is black. There are many other black or blackish birds not in the blackbird family. The yellow-headed blackbird lives in the western United States and southern portions of Canada. It nests in colonies (large groups) on reeds that overhang open water. Another blackbird, the red-winged blackbird, is found in most parts of North America. The male has shoulders tipped with bright red and yellow. The female has a dark brown back with black and gray streaks, and a streaked dusky-white breast.
Red-winged blackbirds live in swamps or marshes, and make their nests in the rushes. In addition, sometimes they nest in low bushes on the edge of a pond, or in cattails or marsh grass. Their nests have also been found among the weeds and clover in hayfields.
Red-winged blackbird
Red-winged blackbirds’ nests are made of grass, mud, and plant fibers. The birds lay from three to six eggs, colored light blue with black or purple spots. Red-wings are friendly birds. They gather in flocks in the fall and spring. The flocks sing their song over and over. It has been described as sounding like “konk-ka-reee.”
Blackbirds are useful because they eat insects and weed seeds. But in some places, blackbirds also eat growing grain.
European blackbird
