A practical guide to bird watching in Sonoma County, California
(Unless otherwise indicated, all phone numbers are in the 707 area code)
Brewer's Blackbird is common throughout the county but especially around human habitation. May be present in almost any open setting, including parking lots, parks, farms, and along the coast. May be solitary, in pairs, or in small groups, but often forms large flocks (especially in the winter), frequently in association with allied birds, such as Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) and Tri-colored Blackbird (Agelaius tricolor), and with European Starling (Sturnis vulgaris).
Maligned by some bird watchers because it is common, because of its tameness, and for its tendency to hang out around human activity, Brewer's Black Bird is often referred to derisively as the "Parking Lot Bird." Quite unfair, if you ask me. The male Brewer's Blackbird (pictured above) is a rather handsome fellow with a purplish-black head and iridescent greenish blue-black body--although he appears simply black in most lights. The male has a yellowish-white iris that immediately identifies Brewer's Blackbird in the context of Sonoma County (no other mostly black bird commonly present here has a pale eye). Females are greyish (especially the head) with a brown eye (see below), but in the right light, they show a greenish-blue tinge in the wings. Immature birds have pale brownish tints on the head, back, and upper breast, but wings are always black. The similar Rusty Blackbird (Euphagus carolinus) will have buffy tints in the autumn, but these extend into the wings, and the head of Rusty Blackbird is greenish rather than purplish. Note, however, that Rusty Blackbird is very rare in Sonoma County. The similar-looking grackles have a pale eye, but they are much larger birds (12-18 inches long, while Brewer's Blackbird is about 9 inches long) and only Great-tailed Grackle (Quiscalus mexicanus) shows up in the county (and that very infrequently). Red-winged Blackbird has the distinguishing red patch at the shoulder. Female Red-winged Blackbird is recognized by its distinct pale eyebrow, overall streaking, and suggestion of wing bars. Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus Ater) may look similar to Brewer's Blackbird, especially in poor light, but, as its name suggests, the male has a distinctly brown head (see below). Female Brown-headed Cowbird is paler and browner than Brewer's Blackbird and lacks the streaking and eyebrow of female Red-winged Blackbird (see below). The cowbird also has a shorter, heavier bill than the blackbirds.
Further reading:
Bolander and Parmeter, Birds of Sonoma County California, rev. ed., 2000, p. 122
Brinkley, National Wildlife Federation Field Guide to Birds of North America, 2007, p. 422
Burridge, ed., Sonoma County Breeding Bird Atlas, 1995, p. 172
Dunn and Alderfer, eds., National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America, 5th ed., 2006, p. 448
Dunn and Alderfer, eds., National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America, 6th ed., 2011, p. 504
Dunne, Pete Dunne’s Essential Field Guide Companion, 2006, pp. 649-650
Ehrlich, Dobkin, and Wheye, The Birder's Handbook, paperback edition, 1988, p. 614
Fix and Bezener, Birds of Northern California, 2000, p. 351
Floyd, Smithsonian Field Guide to the Birds of North America, 2008, p. 454
Kaufman, Field Guide to Birds of North America, 2000, p. 338
Kaufman, Field Guide to Advanced Birding, 2011, pp. 99, 111
Lukas, Bay Area Birds: From Sonoma County to Monterey Bay, 2012, pp. 268-270
Parmeter and Wight, Birds of Sonoma County California, Update (2000-2010), 2012, no entry
Peterson, Birds of Eastern and Central North America, 5th ed., 2002, p. 310
Peterson, Field Guide to Birds of Western North America, 4th ed., 2010, p. 354
Peterson, Western Birds, 3rd ed., 1990, p. 306
Sibley, Field Guide to Birds of Western North America,1st ed., 2003, p. 442
Stokes, Stokes Field Guide to the Birds of North America, 1st ed., 2010, p. 723
Vuilleumier, American Museum of Natural History, Birds of North America: Western Region, 2011, p. 378
Voice: Cornell Lab of Ornithology: All About Birds--Brewer's Blackbird
© Colin Talcroft, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013
Unless noted, all photos by the author. If you would like to use one of my images, please ask for permission for non-commercial use with proper credit or commercial use with proper compensation.
Female Brewer's Blackbird
Spud Point Marina, Bodega Bay, September 13, 2012
For comparison: Female Red-winged Blackbird
Note white above eye, overall striping, hint of wing bar
Crane Creek Regional Park, April 2, 2011
For comparison: Adult male Red-winged Blackbird
For comparison: Brown-headed Cowbird--Note the brown head and dark eye
Female Brewer's Blackbird, Lake Ralphine, February 25, 2012
Note blue-green tinge in wing coverts and tail--often not visible
For comparison: Female Brown-headed Cowbird--Note paler brownish color; lack of strong striping; shorter, heavier bill.
Brewer’s Blackbird, Lake Ralphine, Santa Rosa, February 5, 2013
Brewer's Blackbird
Euphagus cyanocephalus
1990-2013 Sonoma County data. Graph provided by eBird (www.ebird.org), generated May 30, 2013
EBird reported occurrence in Sonoma County
