The rusty blackbird is a medium-sized New World blackbird, closely related to grackles. It is a bird that prefers wet forested areas, breeding in the boreal forest and muskeg across northern Canada, and migrating southeast to the United States during winter.
Region
North America
Typical Environment
Breeds across the boreal forest belt from Alaska through much of Canada, favoring spruce–tamarack bogs, muskeg, and forested fens. During migration and winter it occurs in the eastern and southeastern United States, especially in bottomland hardwood forests, wooded swamps, beaver ponds, and flooded timber. It frequents the edges of slow streams, pond margins, and wet thickets, often foraging at the waterline or on saturated leaf litter. It avoids open urban habitats and prefers quiet, shaded wetlands with standing water. Local occurrence can be patchy and closely tied to wetland condition.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1600 m
Climate Zone
Continental
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
Rusty blackbirds breed in boreal bogs and muskeg across Alaska and Canada and winter mainly in the southeastern United States. They have undergone one of the steepest declines of any North American songbird over recent decades. Males show glossy black plumage in breeding season but wear 'rusty' fringes in fall and winter; females are browner with a pale eyebrow. They are strongly tied to forested wetlands, making them sensitive to habitat loss and hydrological changes.
Male, alternate plumage.
Temperament
social and active
Flight Pattern
direct flight with steady, fairly rapid wingbeats
Social Behavior
Breeds in isolated pairs or loose clusters, typically near or over water, with nests placed low in shrubs or conifers. Outside the breeding season it forms small to medium flocks, often joining mixed blackbird groups in wetlands and agricultural edges. Pairs are generally monogamous within a season and both parents feed the young.
Migratory Pattern
Seasonal migrant
Song Description
The song is a gurgling, creaky series of notes often likened to a rusty hinge. Calls include sharp check and low gurgles, frequently given from perches near water. Vocalizations can carry well across quiet bogs and flooded woods.
