Blackbirds are one of the most commonly found types of songbird in North America. While they can be a nuisance when they eat your carefully-planted garden or make a mess in your backyard, there’s no denying these birds have an impressive family history and a complex lineage.
In this guide, we’ll take you through each kind of blackbird, how to identify young blackbirds, what blackbirds eat, where to find blackbirds, and more. By the end of this post, you’ll know everything there is to know about these fascinating birds!
What Is A Blackbird?
There are actually four different types of blackbird found in North America – the common grackle, the rusty blackbird, the Brewer’s blackbird, and the red-winged blackbird. All four species are members of the Icteridae family, which contains around 30 different species of bird found throughout North America, Central America, and parts of South America.
The word “icterid” comes from the Greek word for “jaundice”, which is fitting as many of these birds have yellow eyes and bill. The plumage of icterid birds is usually quite glossy, and often iridescent. Blackbirds get their name from their dark feathers – although some species (like the red-winged blackbird) have brightly colored plumage too.
All four species of blackbird are omnivorous, which means they will eat both plants and animals. Seeds, fruits, insects, frogs, and lizards all form part of the blackbird diet. Blackbirds will often forage in groups, using their bills to dig through the ground for food.
Blackbirds are generally found in wooded areas near water sources like ponds or lakes. Some species (like the common grackle) are also found in urban areas. Blackbirds will often build their nests in trees or bushes, using twigs, leaves, and grass to construct a cup-shaped nest.
Blackbird Eggs
These birds typically lay between 3 and 7 eggs at a time. Which are incubated by the female for around two weeks. Once they hatch, the young blackbirds are called “fledglings”. And will stay with their parents for around 4-6 weeks before leaving the nest to fend for themselves.
Blackbird eggs are small, round and about 1.5 cm in diameter. They are brown, blue and green with small specks all over them. The color of the egg depends on what food is available for the bird to eat when she is breeding.
If there is plenty of rain, then this results in blue eggs. If it’s a hot summer, then they tend to be green. While brown ones result from a mix of both these factors (or sometimes just plain old natural variation).
Blackbird eggs are soft compared to other birds because blackbirds don’t have shells like other types of bird; instead they have thin membranes that wrap around their eggs loosely until they hatch out into fledglings after approximately 10 days incubation time (for most species).
Blackbird Fledglings
After leaving the nest, fledglings go through a phase called “branching” or “brancher”. The fledglings are able to fly, but they don’t fly very well. Branchers will often try to land on anything that is in front of them. Even if it’s tall and thin.
Branchers can also be seen flapping their wings while they’re perched on branches because they are trying to build up strength in their wings before they attempt flight again.
Blackbird Chicks
Blackbird chicks are born naked and blind, but this does not stop them from being some of the most adorable animals on the planet. They can be fed by their parents for about three weeks after hatching before they are ready to start flying around on their own.
These young birds are known as fledglings until they complete their first molt—this is when they grow feathers in a new or different pattern than their parents’ feathers.
A fledgling’s first molt happens between three and six weeks after they hatch. The second molt occurs when the bird is about four to six months old. After the second molt, the bird will have adult feathers and will be able to mate.
What Do Blackbird Chicks Eat?
Blackbird chicks are altricial, meaning they are born helpless and require constant care from their parents. For the first few weeks of their lives, the chicks are fed a diet of insects, which are rich in protein and other nutrients essential for their growth.
Parents will catch insects in midair or pluck them from plants, then bring them back to the nest where they are fed to the chicks. As the chicks get older, they begin to take on more of the parental duties, such as gathering food. By the time they reach adulthood, blackbirds typically eat a diet of fruit, seeds, and small invertebrates. So while blackbird chicks may start out eating a rather unappetizing diet, they eventually learn to enjoy a wide variety of foods.
What Do Blackbirds Eat?
All four species of blackbird are omnivorous, which means they will eat both plants and animals. Seeds, fruits, insects, frogs, and lizards all form part of the blackbird diet. Blackbirds will often forage in groups, using their bills to dig through the ground for food.
Blackberry fruits are a particular favorite of blackbirds. But these birds will also eat plenty of other fruits, including cherries, figs, mulberries, and even grapes. Insects make up a large part of the diet for young blackbirds. In fact, it’s not uncommon for an adult bird to regurgitate food so that its chicks can have a nutritious meal too!
As well as being able to fly, blackbirds are also good swimmers. This comes in handy when they’re looking for food in the water. Blackbirds have been known to catch and eat fish that are up to 15cm long.
Blackbird Migration
Some species of blackbird migrate, while others do not. The common blackbird (Turdus merula) is a migratory bird, which means it will travel to a different location when the weather starts to get colder.
Migration is a natural process that helps animals to survive in cold climates. By migrating, animals can avoid harsh conditions and find food and shelter more easily.
Migrating blackbirds usually travel in flocks of around 100 birds. They will often fly at night, using the stars to navigate. Blackbirds can travel up to 1,000km when they migrate.
Where Do Blackbirds Nest?
Blackbirds have a wide variety of nesting habits. They tend to build their nests in trees, shrubs, hedges and sometimes even buildings. They also make use of other materials for their nests as well, including grasses, vines, twigs, mosses and feathers.
blackbirds build nests that range from being simple scrapes in the ground to elaborate structures made of mud and lined with soft grasses or leaves. These birds typically nest close to water sources because they need them for drinking purposes but can also be found on open fields where there is plenty of food available for them nearby.
Interesting Facts About Blackbirds
Blackbirds are interesting creatures with a lot of unique features. Here are some facts that you might not know about these birds:
- The female blackbird is usually brown, while the male is black. -However, there are some exceptions to this rule. For example, the male red-winged blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) is red, while the female is brown.
- Blackbirds are found all over the world, in Europe, Asia, Africa, and North and South America. -There are four main species of blackbird: the common blackbird (Turdus merula), the red-winged blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus), the yellow-eyed blackbird (Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus), and the Brewer’s blackbird (Euphagus cyanocephalus).
- The common blackbird is the national bird of Sweden. -Blackbirds are really good at imitating other birds’ songs. They can even mimic the sounds of mechanical devices, such as car alarms.
- Blackbirds are known to live for up to 15 years in the wild.
- The oldest recorded blackbird was a captive bird that lived to be 28 years old.
Blackbirds Have A Rich History and Impressive Family Lineage
Blackbirds are a type of songbird, which means they can sing complex melodies and have a very high level of intelligence. In fact, blackbirds are so intelligent that they’re considered one of the most intelligent bird species in North America!
They’re closely related to other songbirds such as blue jays and crows. However, unlike other types of black birds (e.g., ravens), these beautiful creatures aren’t closely related to any type of black feathered bird on Earth. We hope you’ve learned a lot about blackbirds from this article! If you want to learn more, check out our other articles on different bird species.