Colorado’s diverse landscapes host an impressive variety of black birds that capture the attention of both novice and experienced birders.
From the high-altitude calls of Common Ravens echoing through mountain valleys to the distinctive red shoulder patches of blackbirds in wetland marshes, these species showcase remarkable adaptations to the state’s varied ecosystems.
You’ll discover that identifying these birds becomes much easier once you understand their unique characteristics, preferred habitats, and behavioral patterns that set each species apart from the rest.
European Starling
The European Starling stands as one of Colorado’s most adaptable and widespread black birds, though their story begins far from the Rocky Mountains. These compact, robin-sized birds display remarkable seasonal plumage changes that can initially confuse birders.
Key Insight: European Starlings aren’t actually native to North America – they were introduced in 1890 when 100 birds were released in New York’s Central Park as part of a plan to bring all birds mentioned in Shakespeare’s works to America.
During breeding season, European Starlings appear glossy black with purple and green iridescence that shimmers in sunlight. Their bills transform from dark winter coloring to bright yellow, and their legs show a distinctive reddish hue. Come winter, these birds develop white spots across their bodies and lose much of their glossy sheen, making them appear more mottled and brown.
You’ll find European Starlings thriving in urban environments, parks, agricultural areas, and suburban neighborhoods throughout Colorado. They demonstrate extraordinary intelligence and adaptability, often gathering in massive flocks called murmurations that create spectacular aerial displays. These birds excel at mimicking other species’ calls and can incorporate mechanical sounds into their repertoire.
Pro Tip: Watch for European Starlings walking rather than hopping on the ground – this behavior, combined with their stocky build and straight yellow bill during breeding season, helps distinguish them from native blackbird species.
Their diet consists of insects, fruits, seeds, and various human food scraps, making them successful in diverse habitats from downtown Denver to rural farming communities. European Starlings nest in cavities, often competing with native species for suitable nesting sites in tree hollows, building eaves, and nest boxes.
Rusty Blackbird
The Rusty Blackbird represents one of Colorado’s more challenging identification subjects, particularly because this species has experienced dramatic population declines across North America. These medium-sized blackbirds prefer wetland habitats and showcase distinct seasonal plumage variations.
Important Note: Rusty Blackbirds have declined by approximately 85-95% since the 1970s, making them one of North America’s fastest-declining songbirds, primarily due to wetland habitat loss and climate change impacts.
During breeding season, male Rusty Blackbirds appear entirely black with a slight greenish gloss, while females show dark grayish-brown coloration. However, fall and winter bring the “rusty” appearance that gives these birds their name – both sexes develop rusty-brown edges on their feathers, creating a distinctive rusty wash over their plumage.
These birds favor wet woodlands, beaver ponds, swampy areas, and marshy forest edges throughout Colorado’s mountain regions. Unlike other blackbird species, Rusty Blackbirds rarely form large flocks, instead moving in smaller groups of a dozen or fewer individuals.
Their feeding behavior involves methodical foraging along muddy shores and in shallow water, where they search for aquatic insects, larvae, small fish, and crustaceans. You’ll often observe them flipping over leaves and debris with their bills, a behavior that distinguishes them from other blackbird species.
Rusty Blackbirds possess pale yellow eyes that become particularly noticeable during close observation. Their bills appear straight and pointed, well-adapted for their preferred diet of aquatic invertebrates and small creatures found in wetland environments.
Great-tailed Grackle
The Great-tailed Grackle commands attention as Colorado’s largest blackbird, with males reaching impressive sizes that rival small crows. These striking birds display remarkable sexual dimorphism, with males significantly larger than females and sporting dramatically different plumage.
Males present entirely iridescent black plumage with stunning blue, purple, and green highlights visible in proper lighting conditions. Their most distinctive feature is the exceptionally long, V-shaped tail that fans out during flight and courtship displays. Bright yellow eyes create a piercing gaze that adds to their commanding presence.
Female Great-tailed Grackles appear much different, showing warm brown upperparts with lighter, more buffered underparts. They maintain the characteristic long tail shape but in more modest proportions compared to males, along with the same distinctive yellow eyes.
Common Mistake: Don’t confuse Great-tailed Grackles with Common Grackles – Great-tailed Grackles are significantly larger, have longer tails, and males show more pronounced iridescence, while Common Grackles appear more compact overall.
These adaptable birds thrive in urban environments, agricultural areas, parking lots, and suburban neighborhoods across Colorado’s lower elevations. They demonstrate remarkable intelligence and social behavior, often gathering in large, noisy flocks that can include hundreds of individuals.
Great-tailed Grackles exhibit omnivorous feeding habits, consuming everything from insects and small vertebrates to fruits, seeds, and human food waste. Their opportunistic nature allows them to exploit diverse food sources, contributing to their successful expansion into developed areas.
You’ll frequently observe these birds walking confidently across open ground, their long tails held high and their heads moving with quick, jerky motions as they scan for food opportunities.
Common Raven
The Common Raven stands as Colorado’s most impressive and intelligent black bird, with a presence that has inspired human cultures for thousands of years. These magnificent birds represent the largest members of the crow family found throughout the state’s mountainous regions.
Ravens appear entirely black with a subtle iridescent sheen that reveals hints of blue, purple, and green in direct sunlight. Their robust build includes a thick, powerful bill designed for their varied diet, and their shaggy throat feathers create a distinctive “beard” appearance during vocalizations.
Key Insight: Common Ravens are among the most intelligent birds on Earth, capable of using tools, solving complex problems, and demonstrating self-awareness. They’ve been observed sliding down snow-covered slopes purely for entertainment, suggesting they experience play behavior similar to mammals.
Size provides the most reliable field mark for distinguishing ravens from crows – ravens measure approximately 24 inches in length with wingspans reaching 4 feet, significantly larger than American Crows. In flight, ravens display wedge-shaped tails compared to the squared tails of crows, and their wing beats appear more leisurely and soaring.
These remarkable birds inhabit Colorado’s mountainous regions, including Rocky Mountain National Park, where they’re frequently encountered at higher elevations. Ravens prefer rugged terrain with cliffs, canyons, and open areas that provide suitable nesting sites and foraging opportunities.
Their diet encompasses an impressive range of items including carrion, insects, small mammals, bird eggs, fruits, and various human food sources. Ravens play crucial ecological roles as scavengers, helping maintain ecosystem health by consuming deceased animals.
Common Ravens produce an extensive vocabulary of calls beyond the classic “croak,” including bell-like notes, clicking sounds, and even mimicked calls from other species. Their intelligence allows them to adapt their vocalizations based on social situations and environmental contexts.
Common Grackle
The Common Grackle brings distinctive elegance to Colorado’s blackbird community through its sleek profile and iridescent plumage. These medium-large blackbirds showcase remarkable adaptability and complex social behaviors that make them fascinating subjects for observation.
Male Common Grackles appear glossy black with stunning metallic highlights of purple, bronze, and green that shift dramatically depending on viewing angle and lighting conditions. Their heads typically show purple iridescence, while their bodies display bronze and green tones that create an almost oil-slick appearance.
Females present similar coloration patterns but appear smaller and less intensely iridescent than males. Both sexes possess bright pale yellow eyes that create striking contrast against their dark plumage, and their bills appear long, straight, and well-suited for their diverse feeding habits.
The most distinguishing feature of Common Grackles is their long, graduated tail that often appears slightly V-shaped or keel-shaped during flight. This tail structure, combined with their lanky build and confident walking gait, creates an unmistakable silhouette.
Comparison Table: Grackle vs. Similar Species
| Feature | Common Grackle | Great-tailed Grackle | Brewer’s Blackbird |
|---|---|---|---|
| Size | 11-13 inches | 15-18 inches | 8-10 inches |
| Tail Shape | Long, graduated | Very long, V-shaped | Short, squared |
| Eye Color | Pale yellow | Bright yellow | Yellow (male), brown (female) |
| Iridescence | Purple head, bronze body | Blue-purple head, green body | Subtle green-purple |
Common Grackles demonstrate remarkable adaptability in habitat selection, thriving in urban parks, suburban neighborhoods, agricultural areas, and woodland edges throughout Colorado’s lower elevations. They show particular preference for areas near water sources and open feeding grounds.
These birds exhibit complex social behaviors, forming large flocks during non-breeding seasons and engaging in elaborate courtship displays during spring. Males perform distinctive displays where they puff up their feathers, spread their tails, and emit harsh calls to attract females.
Their omnivorous diet includes insects, worms, small fish, frogs, eggs, nestlings, fruits, seeds, and various human food sources. Common Grackles are known to wade into shallow water to catch small fish and amphibians, demonstrating their feeding versatility.
American Crow
The American Crow represents one of Colorado’s most familiar and intelligent black birds, known for their adaptability, complex social structures, and remarkable problem-solving abilities. These medium-sized corvids have successfully colonized virtually every habitat type across the state.
American Crows appear uniformly black from bill to tail, with a subtle gloss that may show hints of purple or blue in bright sunlight. Their sturdy build includes a straight, multipurpose bill that serves them well for their varied diet and foraging behaviors.
Pro Tip: Distinguish American Crows from Common Ravens by size (crows are smaller at 16-20 inches), tail shape (squared vs. wedge-shaped), and flight pattern (crows flap more frequently while ravens soar more often).
These highly social birds form complex family groups and communities that demonstrate remarkable intelligence. Young crows often remain with their parents for several years, helping raise subsequent broods and learning essential survival skills through extended family interaction.
American Crows inhabit diverse environments including urban areas, suburban neighborhoods, agricultural lands, woodland edges, and riparian corridors throughout Colorado. They show remarkable adaptability to human presence and often benefit from human activities that provide food sources.
Their omnivorous diet encompasses insects, worms, small mammals, bird eggs, nestlings, carrion, fruits, seeds, and various human food sources. Crows demonstrate tool use in the wild, using sticks to extract insects from crevices and dropping hard-shelled items from heights to crack them open.
These birds produce the classic “caw” call that most people associate with crows, but their vocal repertoire includes numerous other sounds including rattles, clicks, and even learned mimicry of other species. Family groups often engage in complex vocal communications that may convey specific information about food sources or potential threats.
American Crows play important ecological roles as both predators and scavengers, helping control insect populations while cleaning up carrion and organic waste in their environments.
Red-winged Blackbird
The Red-winged Blackbird creates one of Colorado’s most recognizable and dramatic identification challenges due to the striking difference between male and female appearances. These medium-sized blackbirds frequent wetland habitats where their territorial behaviors and distinctive markings make them excellent subjects for observation.
Male Red-winged Blackbirds appear entirely black except for their brilliant red and yellow shoulder patches (called epaulets) that flash conspicuously during territorial displays and flight. These shoulder patches can be concealed when at rest, making males appear completely black until they spread their wings or become agitated.
Female Red-winged Blackbirds present completely different plumage, appearing brown and heavily streaked throughout their bodies. Their underparts show whitish or buffy coloration with dark streaking, while their upperparts display various shades of brown. Females also show subtle yellowish coloring around their bills, which helps distinguish them from other brown, streaked birds.
Important Note: During breeding season, male Red-winged Blackbirds become extremely territorial and may aggressively defend their nesting areas against much larger intruders, including humans walking near their territories.
These birds show strong habitat preferences for marshy areas, wetlands, cattail stands, and areas near water sources throughout Colorado. During breeding season, they’re almost exclusively found in these wet environments, but during winter they may venture into agricultural fields and grasslands in search of food.
Red-winged Blackbirds construct their nests between dense vegetation such as cattails, sedges, and marsh grasses. Females weave intricate cup-shaped nests suspended between vertical stems, typically over water or wet ground that provides protection from many predators.
Their diet varies seasonally, focusing primarily on insects during breeding season to provide protein for growing nestlings, then shifting to seeds and grains during fall and winter months. You’ll often observe them clinging to cattail stalks or perching prominently on exposed branches while surveying their territories.
The distinctive call of male Red-winged Blackbirds – a liquid “konk-la-ree” or “oak-a-lee” – ranks among the most recognizable sounds in Colorado’s wetland environments.
Yellow-headed Blackbird
The Yellow-headed Blackbird stands out as one of Colorado’s most visually striking birds, though only males display the dramatic coloration that gives this species its name. These robust blackbirds prefer specific wetland habitats and demonstrate fascinating social behaviors during breeding season.
Male Yellow-headed Blackbirds present stunning plumage combinations featuring bright golden-yellow heads and breasts contrasting sharply with their black bodies. White wing patches become visible during flight, creating an unmistakable identification pattern. Their sturdy build and confident demeanor make them impossible to overlook in their wetland territories.
Female Yellow-headed Blackbirds appear much more subdued, showing brownish-yellow coloration on their heads and breasts with darker brown bodies. Their overall appearance resembles a large, robust sparrow, though their size and wetland habitat preferences help distinguish them from true sparrows.
Comparison Table: Male vs. Female Yellow-headed Blackbird
| Feature | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
| Head/Breast | Bright golden-yellow | Dull brownish-yellow |
| Body | Black with white wing patches | Dark brown overall |
| Size | Larger (9-11 inches) | Smaller (8-10 inches) |
| Bill | Thick, pointed | Thick, pointed |
These birds prefer deeper wetland areas compared to Red-winged Blackbirds, often nesting in cattail marshes where water depths exceed two feet. This habitat preference reduces competition between the two species and allows both to coexist in the same general wetland areas.
Yellow-headed Blackbirds arrive in Colorado during late spring migration and establish territories through dramatic vocal displays and aggressive interactions. Males produce harsh, grating calls that sound quite different from the musical notes of Red-winged Blackbirds.
Their nesting behavior involves females constructing deep cup nests woven between cattail stems, typically over deeper water than Red-winged Blackbird nests. This preference for deeper water provides additional protection from ground-based predators.
During non-breeding season, Yellow-headed Blackbirds often form mixed flocks with other blackbird species, moving through agricultural areas and grasslands in search of seeds and grain. Their striking appearance makes them easy to spot even within large mixed flocks.
Brewer’s Blackbird
Brewer’s Blackbird represents one of Colorado’s more understated black birds, lacking the dramatic field marks of some relatives but showcasing subtle beauty and remarkable adaptability. These medium-sized blackbirds have expanded their range significantly and now thrive in diverse habitats across the state.
Male Brewer’s Blackbirds appear uniformly black with a subtle iridescent sheen that reveals hints of purple and green in proper lighting. Their bright yellow eyes create striking contrast against their dark plumage, and their overall appearance suggests a sleek, streamlined bird well-adapted to various environments.
Female Brewer’s Blackbirds show grayish-brown plumage throughout their bodies without the heavy streaking characteristic of female Red-winged Blackbirds. Their eyes appear darker than males, ranging from brown to dark amber, and their overall coloration appears more uniform than many other female blackbirds.
Key Insight: Brewer’s Blackbirds have dramatically expanded their range eastward over the past century, adapting to human-modified landscapes and now thriving in areas where they were historically absent.
These adaptable birds inhabit a wide variety of environments including urban parks, suburban areas, agricultural fields, grasslands, and woodland edges. Unlike some blackbird species that show strong habitat preferences, Brewer’s Blackbirds demonstrate remarkable flexibility in their habitat selection.
Their ground-foraging behavior sets them apart from many other blackbird species – you’ll frequently observe them walking across lawns, parking lots, and open areas with a confident, measured gait as they search for food items. This terrestrial feeding preference makes them particularly visible in urban and suburban environments.
Brewer’s Blackbirds consume a varied diet including insects, seeds, fruits, and occasionally small vertebrates. Their adaptability extends to their feeding habits, allowing them to exploit diverse food sources from natural environments to human-provided resources.
During breeding season, males perform courtship displays involving puffed-up postures and harsh vocalizations, though their displays appear less elaborate than those of Common Grackles or Red-winged Blackbirds.
These birds often form flocks during non-breeding seasons, sometimes mixing with other blackbird species in agricultural areas where they feed on waste grain and seeds.
Brown-headed Cowbird
The Brown-headed Cowbird presents unique identification challenges and fascinating behavioral adaptations that set it apart from all other North American birds. These compact blackbirds have evolved an extraordinary reproductive strategy that eliminates the need for nest construction or parental care.
Male Brown-headed Cowbirds display distinctive two-toned plumage featuring chocolate-brown heads contrasting sharply with glossy black bodies. Their iridescent black plumage shows hints of green and purple in proper lighting, while their sturdy, finch-like bills reflect their seed-eating preferences.
Female Brown-headed Cowbirds appear entirely different, showing uniform grayish-brown coloration throughout their bodies without streaking or distinct markings. Their subtle plumage helps them blend into various environments while searching for host nests for their unique reproductive behavior.
Common Mistake: Don’t assume all small brown birds are sparrows – female Brown-headed Cowbirds show uniform coloration without the streaking typical of most sparrow species, and their behavior around livestock and open areas provides additional identification clues.
These birds demonstrate one of nature’s most remarkable reproductive strategies – they’re obligate brood parasites, meaning females lay their eggs exclusively in the nests of other bird species. Over 220 different species have been documented raising cowbird young, from tiny kinglets to large meadowlarks.
Brown-headed Cowbirds originally followed bison herds across North America’s grasslands, feeding on insects disturbed by the grazing animals. This historical association with large grazing mammals explains their continued attraction to cattle, horses, and other livestock in modern agricultural settings.
You’ll frequently observe these birds near farms, ranches, pastures, and areas with grazing animals throughout Colorado’s agricultural regions. They walk confidently among livestock, capturing insects stirred up by the animals’ movement through grass and vegetation.
Their diet consists primarily of seeds and grains, supplemented with insects during breeding season. Brown-headed Cowbirds often feed directly from grain spillage around feeding areas, making them common visitors to barnyards and agricultural facilities.
Female cowbirds demonstrate remarkable surveillance behaviors, quietly observing potential host species to locate active nests for egg deposition. This secretive behavior often makes females more challenging to observe than the more conspicuous males.
Conclusion
Colorado’s black birds offer endless opportunities for observation, study, and appreciation across the state’s diverse ecosystems.
From the urban adaptability of European Starlings to the wilderness presence of Common Ravens, each species brings unique characteristics that enrich our understanding of avian ecology and behavior.
Pro Tip: Keep a birding journal to track your observations – noting date, location, weather conditions, and specific behaviors helps develop identification skills and contributes valuable citizen science data through platforms like eBird.
Your journey in identifying these remarkable birds will deepen with each observation. Start by mastering the most common species in your local area, then expand your knowledge as you explore different habitats across Colorado’s varied landscapes.
Whether you’re watching Red-winged Blackbirds defend territories in a mountain wetland or observing the complex social behaviors of American Crows in an urban park, these birds provide countless hours of fascinating observation opportunities.
The key to successful black bird identification lies in understanding that each species has evolved specific adaptations for its preferred lifestyle and habitat.
By learning to recognize these adaptations – from bill shapes and feeding behaviors to habitat preferences and social structures – you’ll develop the skills needed to confidently identify any black bird species you encounter across Colorado’s magnificent landscapes.
