Alternate plumaged male is entirely glossy black; the head has a purplish sheen. Alternate female is grayish brown with darker wings and tail, pale supercilium and throat, and light edging on wing feathers. In basic plumage, both male and female have obvious rusty edging on feathers throughout; females have a gray rump. Note the pale eye in all plumages. Similar to Brewer's Blackbird, especially in alternate plumage; males can be indistinguishable without close study.

Length: 23 (cm) Wingspan: 35 (cm)

Voice:

Variety of gurgling, squeaky whistles.

Habitat:

Swampy woodlands, bogs, wet fields.

Behavior:

Forms large winter flocks, sometimes with other blackbirds, starlings, and cowbirds. Populations have declined precipitously in recent decades. Like starlings, the glossy summer plumage is left after pale-tipped feathers have worn down.

Feeding:

Usually feeds on the ground, sometimes wading in shallow puddles; eats insects and other small animals, seeds, and fruit.