Brewer's Blackbird

Euphagus cyanocephalus

Male Brewer's Blackbirds have striking, bright yellow eyes, whereas the females have dark brown eyes, making sex identification easy at a glance.

Scientific name: Euphagus cyanocephalus
Taxonomy: Animalia › Chordata › Aves › Passeriformes › Icteridae › Euphagus
IUCN Red List status: Least Concern
Population trend: decreasing
Biome: grassland
Habitat: Open grasslands, agricultural fields, pastures, marshes, and urban areas like parks and parking lots.
Diet: Omnivorous, feeding on insects, seeds, grains, and occasional human food scraps.
Range: North America, United States, Canada, Mexico
Size: Length: 20-25 cm (8-10 in), Wingspan: 39 cm (15.5 in), Weight: 50-75 g
Lifespan: Up to 12 years in the wild
Active: diurnal
Threats: Habitat loss due to intensive agriculture, pesticide use reducing insect populations, and urbanization.
Safe to approach?: Brewer's Blackbirds are harmless to humans, though they can become highly defensive during the spring nesting season, occasionally dive-bombing humans who get too close to their nests. Maintain a respectful distance of 5-10 meters. If a bird dive-bombs you, calmly walk away from the area. In the extremely rare event of a scratch, wash the skin thoroughly with soap and water.

Brewer's blackbird ( Euphagus cyanocephalus ) is a medium-sized New World blackbird. It is named after the ornithologist Thomas Mayo Brewer.

Photo: Lip Kee, CC-BY-SA, via iNaturalist