Blackbirds are a common sight in Texas, with the state being home to a wide variety of species. Despite being called “blackbirds,” they are not all black and are members of the Icteridae family of common songbirds.
In fact, many of them are vividly colored, making them a beautiful addition to the state’s fauna. Texas is an excellent place to see blackbirds, with 23 of the 25 New World Blackbird species found in North America being present in the state.
You are reading: 12 Types Of Blackbirds In Texas
In this article, we will explore the various types of blackbirds found in Texas, including their identifying characteristics and other interesting facts.
12 Types Of Blackbirds In Texas
Common Grackle
The Common Grackle is a medium-sized bird that is commonly found in much of east and north Texas. It is the smallest of the three grackle species breeding in Texas and is larger than other blackbirds found in the state.
The Common Grackle has an all-black plumage, yellow eye, and longer tail, which separates males from others of its family in Texas. Females are duller, and juveniles are dull brown. These omnivorous and opportunistic birds eat a wide variety of foods, including insects, vegetable matter, and even young birds or eggs of smaller species.
The Common Grackle is a common to locally uncommon breeder in the eastern two-thirds of Texas west through the High Plains and the central Edwards Plateau and south.
Great-tailed Grackle
The Great-tailed Grackle is a medium-sized bird that is found throughout the southern United States, Mexico, and Central America. In Texas, these long-legged, social birds strut and hop on suburban lawns, golf courses, fields, and marshes in the Southwest and southern Great Plains.
The Great-tailed Grackle has a widespread distribution in Texas, with continuing expansion west and north. These birds have a glossy black plumage, a long tail, and a yellow eye, which distinguishes them from other blackbirds in Texas. Males are larger than females, and juveniles are dull brown.
Great-tailed Grackles are omnivorous and opportunistic birds that eat a wide variety of foods, including insects, vegetable matter, and even young birds or eggs of smaller species.
Bronzed Cowbird
The Bronzed Cowbird is a compact, bull-necked bird of open country that is found in the southwestern United States, including Texas. These birds forage for seeds and grains on the ground, usually in flocks. The male Bronzed Cowbird has a thick neck, especially when they fluff out the feathers of the nape during displays, and a thick-based, sharply pointed, slightly curved bill.
In good light, the male shimmers with iridescent bronze, green, and purple. Females are brownish-gray with a pale eye. The Bronzed Cowbird is larger than the Brown-headed Cowbird and mostly restricted to the Southwest.
These birds are brood parasites, meaning they lay their eggs in the nests of other bird species, leaving the host birds to raise their young. The Bronzed Cowbird is an abundant summer resident in south Texas, with the highest density in the United States.
Red-winged Blackbird
The Red-winged Blackbird is a passerine bird of the family Icteridae found in most of North America and much of Central America. These birds are one of the most abundant birds across North America and one of the most boldly colored.
The male Red-winged Blackbird has a glossy black plumage with red-and-yellow shoulder badges, while females are crisply streaked and dark brownish overall, paler on the breast, and often show a creamy white throughout the body.
These birds are about three-quarters the size of a Common Grackle and have a slender, conical bill and a medium-length tail.
Red-winged Blackbirds are sexually dimorphic, meaning males and females have very different appearances. They are found in marshes year-round and also live in meadows, prairies, and fields near ponds.
Red-winged Blackbirds are omnivorous, feeding primarily on seeds and waste grain such as corn and rice, some small fruits such as blackberries, and also a wide variety of insects.
European Starling
The European Starling, also known as the Common Starling, is a medium-sized passerine bird in the starling family, Sturnidae. These birds are native to Europe and parts of Asia and Africa but were introduced into North America, South Africa, New Zealand, and Australia.
In North America, they are among the continent’s most numerous songbirds and are found in most of the United States and southern Canada. European Starlings are stocky black birds with short tails, triangular wings, and long, pointed bills. They are covered in white spots during winter and turn dark and glossy in summer.
These birds are boisterous, loud, and travel in large groups, often with blackbirds and grackles. They forage mostly on the ground in open areas, often probing in soil with their bills, and sometimes feed on fruit up in trees or catch flying insects in the air.
Brown-headed Cowbird
The Brown-headed Cowbird is a small, stocky blackbird with a fascinating approach to raising its young. Females forgo building nests and instead put all their energy into producing eggs, sometimes more than three dozen a summer.
These they lay in the nests of other birds, abandoning their young to foster parents, usually at the expense of at least some of the host’s own chicks.
Brown-headed Cowbirds are found in open woods, farmland, and stockyards, and forage by walking on the ground. They are slightly smaller than a Red-winged Blackbird and have a shorter tail and thicker head than most other blackbirds.
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Males are glossy black with a chocolate-brown head, while females are gray-brown overall, without bold streaks, but slightly paler throat. Brown-headed Cowbirds are found in most of North America and much of Central America.
Rusty Blackbird
The Rusty Blackbird is a medium-sized New World blackbird that is closely related to grackles. Here are some interesting facts about the Rusty Blackbird:
Identification:
– Rusty Blackbirds are medium-sized blackbirds with a slender bill and medium-length tail.
– They are a bit larger and longer-tailed than Red-winged Blackbirds with a more slender bill.
– Rusty Blackbirds are thinner-billed and shorter-tailed than Common Grackles.
– They have black plumage with faint green and purple gloss, and adults have a pointed bill and a pale yellow eye.
Habitat:
– Rusty Blackbirds prefer wet forested areas, breeding in the boreal forest and muskeg across northern Canada, and migrating southeast to the United States during winter.
– They breed in the muskeg region, in wet northern coniferous forest with many lakes and bogs.
– During migration and winter, they are found in wooded swamps, river groves, and muskeg.
Behavior:
– Rusty Blackbirds are opportunistic feeders, eating mostly invertebrates during the breeding season, generally taking them by probing in mud and vegetation along the edges of water.
– The population of Rusty Blackbirds has declined an estimated 85-99 percent over the past forty years, making it one of North America’s most rapidly declining species.
Brewer’s Blackbird
The Brewer’s Blackbird is a medium-sized New World blackbird that is named after the ornithologist Thomas Mayo Brewer. Here are some interesting facts about the Brewer’s Blackbird:
Identification:
– Male Brewer’s Blackbirds are glossy black with an iridescent purple head and neck and glossy bluish-green highlights on the rest of the body.
– Females are brownish-grey with slight hints of the male’s iridescence.
– Both males and females have a longish, squared tail and a dark, sharp beak.
Habitat:
– Brewer’s Blackbirds are common in towns and open habitats of much of the West, including fields, prairies, farms, parks, and shrubby areas near water.
– They are ground-foraging birds that walk on sidewalks and city parks, chuckling in flocks atop shrubs, trees, and reeds.
Behavior:
– Brewer’s Blackbirds are omnivorous and opportunistic feeders, eating seeds, insects, and other invertebrates.
– They are known to come to feeders.
– Brewer’s Blackbirds are known to be brood parasites, laying their eggs in the nests of other bird species.
Yellow-headed Blackbird
The Yellow-headed Blackbird is a medium-sized blackbird with a yellow head, and it is the only member of the genus Xanthocephalus. Here are some interesting facts about the Yellow-headed Blackbird:
Identification:
– Yellow-headed Blackbirds are medium-sized blackbirds with a large head, sharply pointed bill, and long tail.
– Males are black with a golden-yellow head and chest, and white patches on the wings.
– Females are generally gray-brown with a duller yellow head.
Habitat:
– Yellow-headed Blackbirds are found in freshwater wetlands and nearby farm fields in the Midwest and West.
– They nest primarily in large wetlands, but also in mountain meadows and along the edges of ponds and rivers.
– During winter, they spend their time primarily in farm fields, parklands, and meadows.
Behavior:
– Yellow-headed Blackbirds are omnivorous and opportunistic feeders, eating insects and aquatic invertebrates during the breeding season.
– They forage in open areas, sometimes on barren dirt or in fields.
– Yellow-headed Blackbirds are known to be brood parasites, laying their eggs in the nests of other bird species.
In this article, we have explored the Yellow-headed Blackbird in more detail, including its identification, habitat, and other interesting facts.
Orchard Oriole
The Orchard Oriole is a small, slender songbird that is larger than warblers and vireos. Here are some interesting facts about the Orchard Oriole:
Identification:
– Male Orchard Orioles have a deep, burnished russet plumage with a black head.
– Females are dull yellow-green with white wingbars.
– Orchard Orioles have medium-length tails, rounded heads, and a straight, sharply pointed bill.
Habitat:
– Orchard Orioles inhabit semi-open areas with deciduous trees in eastern North America, southern Tamaulipas, and Veracruz.
– They are found in wood edges, orchards, and shade trees, breeding in semi-open habitats with deciduous trees and open space, including riverside trees, orchards, suburbs, forest edges and clearings, and prairie groves.
– Orchard Orioles usually avoid unbroken forest and winter in brushy areas and woodland edges in lowlands of the tropics.
Behavior:
– Orchard Orioles are omnivorous and opportunistic feeders, eating insects, fruit, and nectar.
– They forage mostly by searching for insects among the foliage of trees and bushes and regularly visit flowers, probing in the blossoms with their bills.
– Orchard Orioles build hanging, pouchlike nests during their brief breeding season.
Baltimore Oriole
The Baltimore Oriole is a small icterid blackbird that is common in eastern North America as a migratory breeding bird. Here are some interesting facts about the Baltimore Oriole:
Identification:
– Male Baltimore Orioles have a brilliant orange plumage on their undersides and shoulders, with a black head and wings with a white bar running across.
– Females and young males are less striking in appearance, with yellowish-orange and dark gray or brown plumage.
– Both males and females have long legs and sharp beaks.
Habitat:
– Baltimore Orioles inhabit open deciduous woodlands, community parks, and suburban backyards.
– They forage in the treetops and are often seen perched at the tops of trees or flitting through the upper foliage in search of insects.
– Baltimore Orioles are migratory birds, spending winters in Central America or South America.
Behavior:
– Baltimore Orioles are omnivorous and opportunistic feeders, eating insects, fruit, and nectar.
– They are known for their distinctive bag-shaped hanging nests, which they weave from slender fibers.
– Baltimore Orioles are not considered threatened, but habitat loss on breeding and wintering grounds, pesticide use, and collisions with glass and towers are the chief threats to this species.
Scott’s Oriole
The Scott’s Oriole is a medium-sized icterid that is primarily found in the Southwestern United States and south to Baja California Sur and central Mexico. Here are some interesting facts about the Scott’s Oriole:
Identification:
– Male Scott’s Orioles have a black head, back, and breast, with a bright yellow belly and rump.
– Females are duller, with a grayish-brown head and back, and yellowish underparts.
– Both males and females have a long tail, a long, straight, spikelike bill, and strong legs and feet.
Habitat:
– Scott’s Orioles inhabit high deserts and the mountain slopes adjacent to them, where they nest and forage in tall yuccas, palms, junipers, and pinyon pines.
– They are found in open, arid habitats, including desert scrub, chaparral, and oak woodlands.
– Scott’s Orioles are migratory birds, spending winters in Mexico and Central America.
Behavior:
– Scott’s Orioles are omnivorous and opportunistic feeders, eating insects, nectar, and fruit.
– They are known for their distinctive bag-shaped hanging nests, which they weave from slender fibers.
– Male Scott’s Orioles are gifted singers, beginning to sing well before sunrise and singing frequently during the day, even when foraging and during the nonbreeding season.
FAQS
1. Are all blackbirds in Texas black?
No, despite being called “blackbirds,” not all blackbirds in Texas are black. Many of them are vividly colored, such as the Baltimore Oriole with its bright orange plumage.
2. Where can I find blackbirds in Texas?
Blackbirds can be found throughout Texas, but they are most commonly found in open habitats such as fields, prairies, farms, parks, and wetlands.
3. What do blackbirds eat?
Blackbirds are omnivorous and opportunistic feeders, eating a wide variety of foods, including insects, vegetable matter, fruit, and even young birds or eggs of smaller species.
4. Are blackbirds in Texas threatened or endangered?
While some blackbird species in Texas are considered vulnerable or near-threatened, most are not considered threatened or endangered. However, habitat loss, pesticide use, and collisions with glass and towers are the chief threats to some species.
5. Are blackbirds aggressive?
Some blackbird species, such as the European Starling, are known for their aggressive personalities and tendency to “bully” smaller songbirds at bird feeders. However, not all blackbirds are aggressive, and their behavior can vary depending on the species and situation.
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Category: Birds
