Rusty Blackbird - How to Save This Vulnerable Species

As a new world blackbird, the Rusty blackbird is a close relative of the Common Grackle, Red-winged Blackbird, and Brown-headed cowbirds, and has a structure similar to these birds.  Identifying it is usually done in comparison to its other close relatives.

The Rusty blackbird is more distinctive in some plumages than others.  The male in breeding plumage is black overall, with a pale yellow eye, and is best identified from other all-dark, yellow-eyed blackbirds (such as the common grackle) by size and shape.  In winter, the male has significant "rusty" color on it.  The female, in non-breeding plumage, is brownest of all, especially on the back and crown.

Most blackbirds are easy to tell apart from the rusty blackbird.  The trickiest to tell apart are the Brewer's blackbird: Brewer's blackbirds have a very similar build and structure, and female and juvenile birds of this species have a similar brown coloration.  The two different in habitat: Brewer's blackbird frequents grass, whereas the Rusty blackbird favors swamps, especially those in or near forests.

Cornell Lab of Ornithology has excellent ID tips for the rusty blackbird on their site All About Birds.

The Rusty blackbird is a bird of wet areas, especially forests with standing water, and swamps, marshes, and swampy pond edges.  These are the areas which this bird favors during winter and migration.  The red-winged blackbird also likes wetlands, but this species prefers more forested areas, especially areas with leaf litter in shallow water, rather than grassland and wetlands with dense grass and dense vegetation that the red-winged blackbird likes.

In the summer, the breeding season for this bird, it seeks out bogs, beaver ponds, and wet parts of boreal forests.

Where it is abundant, it can be found on drier ground, but now that it has become scarce, it is usually quite rare except outside of the wet habitats that it is best adapted to.

The breeding range of this species extends across Canada, from the Atlantic Ocean the whole way to the Pacific coast of Alaska.  It extends quite far north but not into the coldest tundra areas.

Although its breeding range stretches to the west coast, this bird heads east in migration, through the midwest and northeastern U.S., and settles to winter exclusively in the southeast, with some birds wintering as far north as Missouri or Connecticut, and as far west as Eastern Texas.  Their southern wintering range is limited to northern Florida.

The populations of the Rusty blackbird are crashing at an alarming rate.  It was once one of the most abundant species in North America, a very common bird. In the past 40 years, its population has plummeted, dropping by somewhere between 85 and 99 percent.

It is not fully understood why this bird has suffered such steep population declines.  Some theories include:

• Habitat loss may be threatening this species.  On the breeding grounds, development for mining and oil and gas extraction, and clearing of forests may be a major factor.  The draining of swamps for development or agriculture may also be removing this species' habitat on its migration and wintering grounds.
• Acid rain may be decreasing the population of invertebrates that depend on calcium, which this species relies on for food.
• Poisoning of mixed-species blackbird flocks in the southeast may be killing this species.

For more information, you can visit these pages:

• Rusty blackbird on Wikipedia
• Unlocking the Rusty Blackbird Mystery | eBird
• The Decline and Fall of the Rusty Blackbird | GBBC
• Rusty Blackbird | National Audubon Society

There are actually numerous things you can do if you want to help protect this species.

• Report rusty blackbirds - This species has become quite uncommon, which means it is not frequently reported.  If you see one and know how to identify it, submit information on your sighting to eBird and to local birding groups.
• Support local conservation initiatives - If you live anywhere within this species range, any protected habitat will help.  I and other birders have observed this bird using small wetlands in city parks, and I have also seen a big flock of these birds using a larger wetland nature preserve in Ohio during its migration.  This bird particularly depends on wet or swampy forests, or swamps adjacent to forests--although these aren't the most pleasant or accessible habitats for humans, it is critical to preserve them to protect this and other species that depend on these habitats.
• Get involved in the Rusty blackbird working group - If you are a researcher or have serious resources to dedicate to this problem, I recommend getting in touch with the Rusty blackbird working group.  This is the group where the core of the action is happening to understand the decline of this species.  Even if you're not able to help this group, they are publishing a lot of studies on the topic, and their site is the main place to get current updates on research and conservation efforts for this species.
• Conserve energy - Conserving energy helps solve so many environmental problems, and this species is also protected by energy conservation.  Acid rain and mercury contamination, which are driven largely by coal-fired plants for electricity production are two potential causes of this species decline, so by using less electricity yourself, you will also be helping to protect this species.  If you live in an area with electric choice, make sure to buy your electricity from a provider of renewable energy like wind and solar.
• Stop the poisoning of blackbirds - If you live in an area that poisons blackbirds, like rural areas in the Southeast, speak with farmers and with your government, such as the U.S. and State agricultural departments, and urge them to stop this practice.