Brewer's Blackbird Similar Species Comparison
Main SpeciesBrewer's Blackbird
Adult male
Medium-sized blackbird with a full body, round head, and straight bill. Males are glossy black with a piercing yellow eye and a purple sheen on the head grading to greenish iridescence on the body.
© Jonathan Eckerson / Macaulay LibraryMontana, May 31, 2019Adult males and females
Forages primarily on waste grain and grass seeds during winter, but prioritizes insects and other invertebrates during the breeding season. Brewer's Blackbirds are opportunistic foragers—supplementing their diet with stockyard spillage and scraps.
© Benjamin Clock / Macaulay LibraryCalifornia, October 08, 2013Female
Full-bodied blackbird with a straight bill. Females are plain brown, darkest on the wings and tail. Some show metallic greenish sheen on the back in the right light.
© Jeff Bleam / Macaulay LibraryCalifornia, May 19, 2017Adult male
Males glossy black with a piercing yellow eye and a purple iridescence on the head grading to blue-green iridescence on the body depending on lighting conditions.
© Matthew Pendleton / Macaulay LibraryUtah, July 10, 2017Female
Medium-sized blackbird with fairly long legs and a rounded tail. Females are plain brown, darkest on the wings and tail, with a dark eye, though some females have a pale eye.
© Shawn Billerman / Macaulay LibraryNevada, May 09, 2012Habitat
Found in open habitats, such as coastal scrub, grasslands, fields, meadows, lawns, golf courses, parks, and city streets.
© Todd Hagedorn / Macaulay LibraryOntario, June 17, 2017Similar SpeciesCommon Grackle
Adult male
Common Grackles are larger than Brewer's Blackbirds with a longer tail and a heavier bill. Male Common Grackles have a bluish sheen on the head, whereas Brewer's have a purplish sheen.
© Suzanne Labbé / Macaulay LibraryQuebec, May 13, 2017Similar SpeciesCommon Grackle
Female
Common Grackles are larger than Brewer's Blackbirds with a longer tail and a heavier bill. Female Common Grackles are darker brown overall than female Brewer's Blackbirds.
© Simon Boivin / Macaulay LibraryQuebec, August 08, 2017Similar SpeciesRusty Blackbird
Nonbreeding male
Nonbreeding male Rusty Blackbirds have rusty markings on the head, wing, and back whereas nonbreeding male Brewer's Blackbirds are dark brown overall without rusty markings.
© Brian Sullivan / Macaulay LibraryCalifornia, October 28, 2013Similar SpeciesRusty Blackbird
Breeding male
Breeding male Rusty Blackbirds are less glossy than breeding male Brewer's Blackbirds.
© Michelle Martin / Macaulay LibraryOntario, April 25, 2015Similar SpeciesRusty Blackbird
Female
Female Rusty Blackbirds are more of a buffy or rusty color than female Brewer's Blackbirds. They also have a pale eye while most female Brewer's have a dark eye (some female Brewer's occasionally show a pale eye).
© John Sutton / Macaulay LibraryVermont, October 30, 2016Similar SpeciesRed-winged Blackbird
Female (Red-winged)
Female Red-winged Blackbirds are much streakier than female Brewer's Blackbirds.
© David Trescak / Macaulay LibraryQuebec, March 05, 2017Similar SpeciesEuropean Starling
Breeding adult
European Starlings are squatter, with shorter tails than Brewer's Blackbirds. They have dark eyes whereas male Brewer's have pale eyes.
© Dan Vickers / Macaulay LibraryGeorgia, April 25, 2017Similar SpeciesBrown-headed Cowbird
Adult male
Brown-headed Cowbirds have a shorter tail and thicker neck than Brewer's Blackbirds. They have a triangular-shaped bill and a dark eye whereas Brewer's Blackbirds have a longer, pointier bill. Male cowbirds have a dark rather than pale eye.
© Brian Sullivan / Macaulay LibraryCalifornia, March 17, 2008Compare with Similar Species
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Species in This Family
Troupials and Allies(Order: Passeriformes, Family: Icteridae)
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