Rusty Blackbirds have the steepest population decline of any North American songbird: 85-99% depending on location over the last 40 years. That’s why having them visit our yard is a special treat and a sign that bringing the yard back to a state more closely resembling the piedmont forest that was once here is paying off.
Scientists are not exactly sure why the decline is so severe, at least not documented in exacting scientific research. Which is not hard to understand because there has been very little research on Rusties until the mid-1990s. But research scientists, and citizens scientists, have some pretty good ideas of possibilities that are now being researched with a sense of urgency. This is because the collective problems facing Rusties point to future negative impacts on many species, including us.
For a longer commentary regarding Rusties’ decline read the post THE PRICE FOR NOT BEING CUTE.
This post is about a few simple things we can do to give a helping hand to any Rusty Blackbirds that may spend their non-breeding season near us. They are all things discussed before: Remove large swatches of turf lawn, plant natives, leave their leaves, back off insecticides. It’s that simple.
Steve , This bird is new to me and his coloration is very unusual . Is the predominant an electric blue with rusty overlay or is it iridescent black ? I admire your ” back to nature” yard . I am so anxious to do away with those dreaded gas blowers that I want to stop clearing but not sure my H O A will allow it . Just got a note from Ann on one of your beautiful Audubon cards . Enjoy your date -she’s still mighty cute . June Bishop
Sorry for the delay. Some kind of bug put me down the last couple of days. Males, especially breeding males, have the rusty color on a glossy, sometimes with a greenish sheen, back. They are easily confused with Common Grackles which do have an iridescent blue head seen some lighting conditions. Because they often travel together, if the rusty colored feathers are not clearly visible, size and length of tail can be the only difference. Common Grackles are larger with longer tails. Gas leaf blowers are indeed dreaded. What gets me are the HOAs that won’t meet half way at least. Leaving some leaves for mulch and cover of flower beds is better than carting them all of to the landfill and then replacing their natural benefits with chemical fertilizers and constant watering. And yes, I think she is as cute as the first time I saw her 🙂