Brown-Headed Cowbird or Brewer’s Blackbird ?

Call

Audio by Dkazdan

Song

Audio by Jonathon Jongsma

/ CC BY-SA 4.0

There's more to learn about Brown-Headed Cowbird

Brewer’s Blackbird

Euphagus cyanocephalus

How to recognise a Brewer's blackbird?

General appearance

The Brewer’s blackbird is a medium-sized songbird with a slender body and a rounded head. It has a pointed bill and relatively long legs. The overall plumage is glossy with an iridescent sheen under certain lighting conditions, predominantly appearing black from a distance.

Male vs female

Male Brewer’s blackbirds are characterized by their glossy black overall color, with a purplish sheen on the head and greenish gloss on the body and wings. Females, however, display a more subdued appearance, with brownish-gray plumage, pale throat, and lack the iridescence that males exhibit. Their eyes are darker than those of males.

Juvenile

Juvenile Brewer’s blackbirds resemble females but are generally duller in tone. They have brownish feathers with a streaky appearance and lack the iridescence seen in adults. Unlike adults, their eyes are typically dark brown rather than the yellow seen in mature males.

Size

7.9 - 9.8 in/2.0 - 2.4 oz

Habitat

Primary habitat

The Brewer's blackbird prefers open and semi-open landscapes ranging from fields, prairies, farms to parks. It's often seen in shrubby areas near water, aspen groves in mountain meadows, and shores.

Additional range

Moreover, this bird adapts well to human-altered environments; farmland, irrigated or plowed fields, suburban lawns, and city parking lots are common places to find it.

Range Map

What do Brewer’s blackbirds like to eat?

Natural diet

The Brewer's blackbird primarily feeds on a diverse array of insects and seeds. Its insect diet includes grasshoppers, crickets, beetles, aphids, caterpillars, and termites, as well as some spiders, snails, and tiny crustaceans. Additionally, it consumes many seeds from grasses and weeds and also indulges in waste grain. During the summer months, its diet is complemented by berries.

Bird feeders

Brewer's blackbirds are known to visit bird feeders, where they commonly eat grains and seeds. They often consume cracked corn, millet, and sunflower seeds. While they prefer natural foraging, feeders provide an additional food source, especially in urban and suburban areas.

What does a Brewer's blackbird sound like?

The Brewer's blackbird produces an array of vocalizations including gurgles, squawks, and whistles. Its call patterns can be described as either falling or rising. The call types vary considerably from a buzzing sound to chatter, chirp or chip, and whistle. These sounds give a glimpse into the bird's complex communication system.

Call

Audio by Paul Marvin

/ CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Call

Audio by Paul Marvin

/ CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Call

Audio by Jonathon Jongsma

Call

Audio by Jonathon Jongsma

There's more to learn about Brewer’s Blackbird

Brown-Headed Cowbird

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Brewer’s Blackbird

Brown-Headed Cowbird

Molothrus ater

General appearance

The brown-headed cowbird is a medium-sized bird, approximately the size of a robin or sparrow, measuring between 6-8 inches or 15-20 cm. Its wing shape is broad and the tail is either rounded or square-tipped. The bird's coloration includes hues of black, brown, green, and tan.

Male vs female

In terms of gender differences, male brown-headed cowbirds are glossy black and sport a contrasting brown head. On the other hand, females have a different appearance, with a plain dusty brown color and a darker sparrowlike bill.

Juvenile

Juvenile brown-headed cowbirds have a unique appearance that changes as they mature. Initially, they are streaked and tend to resemble female adults but their coloration grows darker as they age. Further observation is needed to note if this pattern is consistent across all seasons.

Size

6.3 - 7.9 in/1.1 - 1.8 oz

There's more to learn about Brown-Headed Cowbird

Brewer’s Blackbird

Euphagus cyanocephalus

General appearance

The Brewer’s blackbird is a medium-sized songbird with a slender body and a rounded head. It has a pointed bill and relatively long legs. The overall plumage is glossy with an iridescent sheen under certain lighting conditions, predominantly appearing black from a distance.

Male vs female

Male Brewer’s blackbirds are characterized by their glossy black overall color, with a purplish sheen on the head and greenish gloss on the body and wings. Females, however, display a more subdued appearance, with brownish-gray plumage, pale throat, and lack the iridescence that males exhibit. Their eyes are darker than those of males.

Juvenile

Juvenile Brewer’s blackbirds resemble females but are generally duller in tone. They have brownish feathers with a streaky appearance and lack the iridescence seen in adults. Unlike adults, their eyes are typically dark brown rather than the yellow seen in mature males.

Size

7.9 - 9.8 in/2.0 - 2.4 oz

There's more to learn about Brewer’s Blackbird

How to tell the Brown-Headed Cowbird from the Brewer’s Blackbird

Visual differences

The Brown-Headed Cowbird is smaller (6-8 inches, 1.1-1.8 oz) with broad wings and a square-tipped tail. Males have a glossy black body and distinctive brown head, while females are plain dusty brown. The Brewer's Blackbird is larger (8-10 inches, 2-2.4 oz) with a slender build, rounded head, and pointed bill. Males are glossy black with a purplish head and greenish body sheen, whereas females are brownish-gray with pale throats. Juveniles of both species resemble adult females but differ mainly in coloration intensity.

Key differences and behavior

Brown-Headed Cowbirds and Brewer's Blackbirds both thrive in open landscapes but exhibit distinct behavior. Cowbirds follow livestock to forage insects and practice brood parasitism by laying eggs in other birds' nests, letting hosts raise their young. Conversely, Brewer's Blackbirds are social, often nesting in colonies and engaging in elaborate courtship displays where males may feed potential mates. While both species consume seeds and insects, cowbirds’ diet shifts to 90% seeds in winter, whereas Brewer's Blackbirds maintain a varied diet, including berries in summer. Adapting well to human environments, Brewer's Blackbirds often settle in suburban areas, unlike cowbirds that avoid dense forests.

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