Tricolored Blackbird Identification

The Four Keys to ID

• Size & Shape

  From afar, Tricolored Blackbirds have a stocky, broad-shouldered look and when perched often look humpbacked. Like other members of the blackbird family, they have a slender conical bill and a longish tail. Females are smaller than males.

  Relative Size

  Larger than a House Finch, smaller than a Western Meadowlark.

  robin-sized

  Measurements

  • Both Sexes
  • • Length: 7.1-9.4 in (18-24 cm)
    • Weight: 1.4-2.6 oz (40-75 g)
    • Wingspan: 10.2-13.0 in (26-33 cm)

  © Paul Fenwick / Macaulay Library

• Color Pattern

  Male Tricolored Blackbirds are entirely black with a bright red shoulder patch bordered below by a white to cream-colored band. Females are dark gray-brown overall with streaked bellies and backs and a cream-colored eyebrow. Immature male birds are brownish black overall with some gray mottling depending on their age.

• Behavior

  Tricolored Blackbirds are gregarious birds that are often seen in large compact groups year-round. Unlike Red-winged Blackbirds they nest in tight colonies and often travel away from the colony to find food. During the nonbreeding season, they join flocks of Red-winged Blackbirds, Brewer's Blackbirds, Brown-headed Cowbirds, and European Starlings.

• Habitat

  Historically Tricolored Blackbirds bred in wetlands almost exclusively. Because of extensive losses to wetlands along the U.S. West Coast, many now nest in agricultural fields, though some still breed in remnant marshes. They forage in and around dairy farms, fields, and wetlands. Look for them in irrigated pastures, dairy farms, rice fields, and feedlots.