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Aug 24, 2021 · The blackbird family ( Icteridae) includes many species not called blackbirds, such as orioles, meadowlarks, bobolinks and cowbirds. Other birds, such as crows, ravens and starlings, are also primarily black colored, but are in different bird families. Here are five types of blackbirds that you might spot. Courtesy John Doyle.
One of the most abundant birds across North America, and one of the most boldly colored, the Red-winged Blackbird is a familiar sight atop cattails, along soggy roadsides, and on telephone wires. Glossy-black males have scarlet-and-yellow shoulder patches they can puff up or hide depending on how confident they feel.
Blackbirds are attractive, heavyset birds with well-developed legs and large eyes. Males are easily recognisable as jet-black birds with bright orange bills and a thin but distinct orange ring around each eye. Female Blackbirds are grey-brown, unlike their male counterparts.
