Page 102 - AG 7-2011 Revised 2016

Brewers Blackbirds Brewers Blackbird male

Brewers Photo Courtesy of UNIVAR Photo Courtesy of UNIVAR
Blackbird male
Brewers Brewers Blackbirds
Blackbird female

Photo Courtesy of UNIVAR Photo Courtesy of UNIVAR

Life Cycle Brewer’s Blackbird

The female lays 4-6 eggs in a nest built of twigs and grasses
lined with mud, dung, or other materials. The nests are built in
low-lying shrubs or on the ground. The male stays near the nest,
guarding it until the female is ready to stay on the eggs. It will
then leave, and seek another mate.

Photo Courtesy of UNIVAR

There are several types of blackbirds, the major species that covers the entire
state is the Brewer’s Blackbird. Males have bright yellow eyes--a major identifying
characteristic. The rest of the body is mostly black, ranging from a dark iridescent
purple to jet black. Females are a lighter gray-brown with brown eyes, so they don’t
really look like a blackbird. Both range in size from 8-10 inches.

Blackbirds can be an agricultural pest, eating seeds. One of their favorite habitats
is irrigated farm fields and pastures, but they also are found along roads, thickets and
brushy areas, feed lots, and lawns in the city. But blackbirds also have some value as
they eat alfalfa weevil larvae, aphids, cutworms, and many other insect pests. They are
very social birds, and are usually found in small colonies.

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