How to identify it
Male: all glossy black with whitish eyes; female dull gray-brown with dark eyes. [1][2]
Shorter-tailed than Common Grackle and a bit larger than Brown-headed Cowbird. [1][2]
Compared with the rusty blackbird: Rusty is less glossy with a thinner bill, yellow eyes and, in fall, rusty feather edges. [1][2]
Compared with the common grackle: Longer-tailed than Brewer's. [1][2]
Compared with the brown-headed cowbird: A bit smaller than Brewer's. [1][2]
Species it is confused with
Check these before deciding what you are looking at. If you are not certain what it is, do not shoot.
- Rusty blackbird · Euphagus carolinus
- Common grackle · Quiscalus quiscula
- Brown-headed cowbird · Molothrus ater
Where it lives
Open and semi-open country: fields, prairies, farms, parks, shrubby areas near water; often around human habitations including suburban lawns and parking lots. [1][2]
How it behaves
Walks on the ground searching for food, sometimes wading or catching insects in flight; may follow farm machinery [1][2]
Where it is listed for removal or nuisance take
These authorities list this species as nuisance, invasive or unprotected wildlife that may be taken. This is not a game season.
Where legal take is listed
- Alberta — hunting · 2026 Alberta Guide to Hunting Regulations
- Indiana — nuisance or unprotected take · Indiana Hunting & Trapping Guide 2026-2027: Gamebirds
- Louisiana — nuisance or unprotected take · Depredation Order - Blackbird, Cowbird, and Grackle
- North Dakota — nuisance or unprotected take · NDCC 20.1-04-13
- Oklahoma — nuisance or unprotected take · General Hunting Regulations
- South Dakota — nuisance or unprotected take · SDCL 41-11-10 Birds not protected or conditionally protected
- Utah — nuisance or unprotected take · Utah Admin. Code R657-3b (birds and mammals: collection, importation, possession)
- Wyoming — nuisance or unprotected take · 50 CFR 21.150 Depredation order for blackbirds, cowbirds, crows, grackles, and magpies
Being listed is not an open season. Seasons, zones, licences, methods and limits decide whether this animal may be taken on a given day and place — check Hunt or the authority before you go. Listings read 2026-09-30.
Where it is found
Breeds from central interior British Columbia to the western Great Lakes, south to northwestern Baja California, Nevada, Texas and northern Iowa; present year-round in parts of the western U.S. and winters east to the southeastern U.S. and Mexico.
Sources
Every claim above is attributed to one of these published sources.
- BIOLOGICALAudubon Field Guide: Brewers Blackbird
National Audubon Society · reviewed 2026-09-30
National Audubon Society
NatureServe · reviewed 2026-09-30
NatureServe