You spot a flash of dark feathers across your yard, but is it a crow, a raven, or something else entirely? Black birds are among the most common yet frequently misidentified species in North America.
While their dark plumage might seem uniform at first glance, each species has distinct features, behaviors, and preferred habitats that make identification surprisingly straightforward once you know what to look for.
From the iridescent sheen of grackles to the distinctive red shoulder patches of certain blackbirds, these dark-feathered birds play vital roles in ecosystems across the continent.
Whether you’re scanning wetlands, exploring forests, or simply watching your backyard feeder, understanding these 20 species will transform how you observe the avian world around you.
Common Blackbird
The Common blackbird (Turdus merula) is a medium-sized thrush native to Europe, Asia, and North Africa, though it has been introduced to Australia and New Zealand. Males display entirely jet-black plumage with a bright yellow-orange bill and eye ring, while females are brown with mottled breasts and a duller bill.
You’ll find Common blackbirds in gardens, parks, woodlands, and hedgerows where they forage on the ground for earthworms, insects, berries, and fruits. Their melodious, flute-like song is a familiar sound during dawn and dusk, particularly in spring and summer. These adaptable birds thrive in both rural and urban environments, often becoming quite comfortable around human activity.
Pro Tip: Listen for their sharp “tchook-tchook” alarm call when a cat or other predator is nearby—it’s one of the most distinctive sounds in European gardens.
Red-winged Blackbird
One of North America’s most abundant birds, the Red-winged blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) is instantly recognizable by the male’s glossy black body and brilliant red shoulder patches edged with yellow. Females are heavily streaked brown and often mistaken for large sparrows. These birds are highly territorial, with males aggressively defending their nesting areas.
Red-winged blackbirds inhabit marshes, wetlands, roadside ditches, and agricultural fields across the United States and southern Canada. They’re particularly common near cattails and reeds where they can cling to vegetation while singing. During non-breeding season, they form massive mixed flocks with other blackbird species that can number in the thousands.
Look for males perched prominently on tall vegetation, calling with their distinctive “conk-la-ree” song. These birds are found year-round in much of their range, though northern populations migrate south for winter.
Brewer’s Blackbird
The Brewer’s blackbird (Euphagus cyanocephalus) is a glossy, medium-sized blackbird common in western North America. Males have iridescent purple heads and greenish-black bodies with striking pale yellow eyes, while females are brownish-gray with dark eyes. Their sleek appearance and direct flight pattern distinguish them from larger grackles.
Key Insight: Brewer’s blackbirds have adapted remarkably well to human-modified landscapes and are often more common in urban and suburban areas than in wild habitats.
You’ll encounter Brewer’s blackbirds in open country, agricultural lands, parks, and parking lots from the Pacific coast to the Great Plains. They walk confidently on the ground searching for insects, seeds, and grain, and they’re particularly common around livestock operations where they feed on disturbed insects. During winter, they gather in large flocks that may include other blackbird species.
These birds nest in small colonies in shrubs or trees near water, and their range has expanded eastward as agricultural development has created suitable habitat.
Rusty Blackbird
The Rusty blackbird (Euphagus carolinus) is an uncommon and declining species that earns its name from the rusty-brown feather edges visible in fall and winter plumage. Breeding males are entirely black with yellow eyes, while females are grayish. This species is slightly smaller than Brewer’s blackbird and has a more slender bill.
Rusty blackbirds prefer wet, wooded habitats and are almost always found near water. During breeding season, they inhabit remote boreal bogs and beaver ponds across Canada and Alaska. In winter, they move to southeastern swamps, flooded forests, and wooded wetlands where they wade in shallow water searching for aquatic insects and small crustaceans.
Important Note: Rusty blackbird populations have declined by approximately 85-95% since the 1960s, making them one of North America’s fastest-declining songbirds. Habitat loss and environmental contaminants are suspected causes.
Listen for their distinctive rusty-hinge-like calls in wet woodlands, particularly during migration periods in spring and fall.
Yellow-headed Blackbird
The Yellow-headed blackbird (Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus) is one of the most striking blackbirds in North America. Males feature bright golden-yellow heads and breasts contrasting sharply with black bodies, white wing patches, and dark masks. Females are smaller with duller brownish bodies and pale yellow throats and breasts.
These birds breed in western prairie marshes, particularly in the Prairie Pothole Region stretching from the Dakotas through Montana and into southern Canada. They require deeper water marshes than Red-winged blackbirds and often dominate the prime nesting territories. During breeding season, males produce harsh, mechanical calls that sound like rusty gates.
You can spot Yellow-headed blackbirds clinging to cattails and bulrushes in freshwater wetlands. After breeding, they migrate to agricultural fields and feedlots in the southwestern United States and Mexico, where they gather in mixed flocks to feed on grain and insects.
Tricolored Blackbird
The Tricolored blackbird (Agelaius tricolor) is nearly identical to the Red-winged blackbird but with one key difference: a white band beneath the red shoulder patch instead of yellow. This California endemic is highly colonial, nesting in massive breeding colonies that can contain thousands of pairs.
Common Mistake: Many birders overlook Tricolored blackbirds, assuming they’re Red-winged blackbirds. Always check the color of the wing band border in California.
Tricolored blackbirds are found almost exclusively in California‘s Central Valley and coastal regions, with smaller populations in southern Oregon and Baja California. They prefer freshwater marshes dominated by cattails, tules, or blackberry thickets. Unlike Red-winged blackbirds that nest in dispersed territories, Tricolored blackbirds pack their nests extremely close together.
This species has experienced dramatic population declines due to habitat loss and is considered a conservation priority. The best locations to find them include wildlife refuges in California’s Central Valley during breeding season.
European Starling
The European starling (Sturnus vulgaris) is a stocky, medium-sized bird with iridescent black plumage that shimmers with purple and green highlights. In winter, their feathers are heavily spotted with white tips. They have short tails, pointed wings, and yellow bills during breeding season that turn dark in winter.
Originally introduced to North America in the 1890s, European starlings now number over 200 million and inhabit urban areas, farmlands, and open woodlands across the entire continent. They’re highly adaptable cavity nesters that often compete with native species for nesting sites. You’ll find them foraging on lawns in large, noisy flocks, probing the ground for insects and grubs.
Starlings are exceptional mimics, capable of imitating other birds, mechanical sounds, and even human speech. They form enormous communal roosts during non-breeding season, sometimes numbering in the millions. Despite being considered invasive, they do provide pest control by consuming large quantities of agricultural insects.
Common Grackle
The Common grackle (Quiscalus quiscula) is a large, lanky blackbird with a long, keel-shaped tail and pale yellow eyes. Males display stunning iridescent plumage with bronze bodies and blue-purple heads that shimmer in sunlight. Females are smaller and less iridescent but maintain the distinctive long tail and eye color.
You’ll encounter Common grackles in open woodlands, marshes, agricultural fields, parks, and suburban areas throughout eastern and central North America. They’re highly adaptable omnivores that walk on the ground with a distinctive strutting gait, feeding on insects, seeds, grain, small fish, and even other birds’ eggs.
Pro Tip: Watch for grackles’ unique “bill-tilting” behavior—they’ll crack open acorns and seeds by holding them with their feet and prying them open with their strong bills.
During migration and winter, Common grackles gather in massive mixed-species flocks with other blackbirds, cowbirds, and starlings. Their calls are harsh and varied, including loud squeaks, rattles, and whistles. Males perform elaborate displays during breeding season, puffing up their plumage and spreading their tails.
Great-tailed Grackle
The Great-tailed grackle (Quiscalus mexicanus) is an impressively large blackbird with proportions that seem almost exaggerated. Males can reach 18 inches in length, with extraordinarily long, V-shaped tails that make up nearly half their body length. They have glossy black plumage with purple and bronze iridescence, bright yellow eyes, and thick bills. Females are significantly smaller, brown, and have shorter tails.
These grackles inhabit open and semi-open habitats across the southern United States, Mexico, and Central America. They thrive in urban parks, agricultural areas, wetlands, and coastal regions. Their range has expanded dramatically northward over the past century as they’ve adapted to human-modified landscapes.
Great-tailed grackles are bold, noisy, and often gregarious birds. Males produce an astounding variety of calls, whistles, and mechanical sounds, particularly during breeding season when they perform elaborate displays. You’ll often see them strutting on parking lots, foraging in trash cans, or gathering in large evening roosts where their cacophony of calls can be deafening.
Look for them in Texas, Arizona, California, and other southern states, particularly near water sources and urban centers.
Boat-tailed Grackle
The Boat-tailed grackle (Quiscalus major) closely resembles the Great-tailed grackle but is primarily coastal in distribution. Males have glossy black plumage with blue and green iridescence, long boat-shaped tails, and pale yellow eyes in most of their range (though Gulf Coast populations have dark eyes). Females are tawny brown, much smaller than males, and lack the extreme tail proportions.
Boat-tailed grackles inhabit salt marshes, coastal beaches, lagoons, and adjacent residential areas along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts from New York to Texas. Unlike Great-tailed grackles that have expanded into inland urban areas, Boat-tailed grackles remain closely tied to coastal saltwater and brackish habitats.
Key Insight: The easiest way to distinguish Boat-tailed from Great-tailed grackles is by location—if you’re on the Atlantic or Gulf coast, it’s likely a Boat-tailed grackle; inland populations are Great-tailed.
These grackles feed on crabs, insects, small fish, and marine invertebrates, often walking along tide lines and probing in marsh vegetation. Their calls are similar to Great-tailed grackles—loud, varied, and often harsh. During breeding season, males establish territories in marsh vegetation where they perform aerial displays.
Shiny Cowbird
The Shiny cowbird (Molothrus bonariensis) is a glossy black bird native to South America that has expanded its range into the Caribbean and southern Florida.
Males are entirely black with a purplish sheen, particularly on the head and neck, while females are dull grayish-brown. They’re smaller and more compact than Brown-headed cowbirds with shorter, more pointed bills.
In the United States, Shiny cowbirds are primarily found in southern Florida, though occasional individuals appear along the Gulf Coast.
They prefer open and semi-open habitats including agricultural areas, pastures, and suburban gardens. Like all cowbirds, they’re brood parasites that lay eggs in other birds’ nests rather than building their own.
Shiny cowbirds often associate with livestock, feeding on insects disturbed by grazing animals. They typically forage on the ground in small groups and may join mixed flocks with other blackbird species. Males produce a variety of whistles and gurgling calls, particularly during courtship displays.
The expansion of this species into new territories raises conservation concerns as they parasitize native bird species that haven’t evolved defenses against brood parasitism.
Brown-headed Cowbird
The Brown-headed cowbird (Molothrus ater) is a stocky blackbird with a thick, finch-like bill. Males have glossy black bodies with contrasting chocolate-brown heads, while females are entirely grayish-brown with faint streaking. Both sexes have dark eyes and stout bills adapted for seed-eating.
Brown-headed cowbirds inhabit open and edge habitats across North America, including grasslands, agricultural fields, woodland edges, and suburban areas. Historically associated with bison herds on the Great Plains, they’ve expanded dramatically as forests were cleared for agriculture and livestock grazing.
Important Note: Brown-headed cowbirds are obligate brood parasites, never building their own nests. Females lay eggs in the nests of over 220 host species, often removing a host egg in the process. This behavior threatens some rare songbird populations.
You’ll often see cowbirds foraging on the ground in open areas, frequently near livestock where they feed on insects and seeds. During breeding season, males perform distinctive courtship displays, bowing deeply with wings spread and tail fanned while producing squeaky, gurgling whistles. In winter, they form large mixed flocks with other blackbirds and starlings.
Jackdaw
The Jackdaw (Corvus monedula) is a small member of the crow family native to Europe, western Asia, and North Africa. These compact corvids have black plumage with a distinctive silvery-gray nape and neck, pale gray eyes, and relatively short bills. They’re significantly smaller than crows and ravens, roughly the size of a pigeon.
Jackdaws inhabit towns, cities, farmland, parkland, and coastal cliffs throughout their range. They’re highly social birds that form lifelong pair bonds and often nest in colonies in cavities such as chimneys, church towers, cliffs, and tree holes. Their adaptability to urban environments has made them one of Europe’s most familiar birds.
These intelligent corvids feed on insects, seeds, fruits, and scraps, often foraging in mixed flocks with other crow species. You’ll recognize their distinctive “jack” or “kyow” calls, which are higher-pitched and more metallic than typical crow calls. Jackdaws are playful, curious birds known for collecting shiny objects and engaging in aerial acrobatics.
While not found in North America naturally, Jackdaws are occasionally kept in captivity and may appear in exotic bird collections.
Carrion Crow
The Carrion crow (Corvus corone) is a large, entirely black corvid native to Europe and western Asia. These robust birds have glossy black plumage, heavy bills, and dark eyes. They’re similar in size to American crows but have a more squared-off tail and slightly heavier build.
Carrion crows inhabit a wide range of environments including farmland, woodlands, urban areas, and coastal regions throughout Europe. They’re adaptable omnivores that feed on carrion (as their name suggests), insects, seeds, fruits, small animals, and human food waste. These intelligent birds use tools, solve complex problems, and remember human faces.
Pro Tip: In areas where Carrion crows and Hooded crows overlap, they interbreed freely, producing hybrid offspring with intermediate plumage patterns.
You’ll often see Carrion crows foraging alone or in pairs, though they may gather in larger groups at food sources or communal roosts. Their call is a harsh, croaking “kaah-kaah,” similar to but distinct from American crow vocalizations. During breeding season, pairs are highly territorial and will mob potential predators.
Carrion crows are not found naturally in North America but are common throughout most of Europe and parts of Asia.
American Crow
The American crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) is one of the most widespread and recognizable birds in North America. These large, entirely black birds have stout bills, fan-shaped tails, and characteristic “caw-caw” calls. Adults measure 16-20 inches in length with iridescent black plumage that may show purple or green sheens in bright light.
American crows thrive in virtually every habitat across the continent, from remote forests to city centers. You’ll find them in farmlands, open woodlands, parks, beaches, and urban areas from southern Canada through the United States and into northern Mexico. They’re highly adaptable omnivores that eat insects, seeds, small animals, carrion, garbage, and agricultural crops.
These remarkably intelligent birds use tools, recognize individual human faces, hold “grudges,” and pass cultural knowledge through generations. They often gather in large communal roosts during winter, sometimes numbering in the thousands. Family groups cooperate to raise young, with offspring from previous years helping parents tend new nestlings.
Distinguish American crows from ravens by their smaller size, different tail shape (fan-shaped vs. wedge-shaped), and higher-pitched “caw” calls. Crows are more comfortable around humans and more common in urban and suburban settings than ravens.
Common Raven
The Common raven (Corvus corax) is the largest songbird in North America, measuring 22-27 inches in length with a wingspan that can exceed four feet. These impressive corvids are entirely black with shaggy throat feathers, massive bills, and distinctive wedge-shaped tails visible in flight. Their size, flight pattern, and calls distinguish them from crows.
Ravens inhabit wilderness areas, mountains, deserts, forests, and coastal regions across the northern hemisphere. In North America, they’re found from Alaska through Canada, the western United States, and parts of the northeast and Appalachian region. While they avoid heavily urbanized areas, they’re expanding into some suburban regions and thriving in wilderness areas where human activity is minimal.
Key Insight: Ravens are among the world’s most intelligent animals, capable of solving complex puzzles, using tools, planning for the future, and even engaging in play behavior and what appears to be pranks.
Listen for their deep, resonant croaking calls—”gronk-gronk”—which sound very different from crow “caws.” Ravens perform spectacular aerial displays, including barrel rolls and tumbles. They’re opportunistic omnivores that feed on carrion, small mammals, bird eggs, insects, and garbage. Pairs mate for life and often return to the same nesting territories year after year.
In flight, watch for their wedge-shaped tail, longer neck projection, and tendency to soar on thermals like hawks—behaviors crows rarely exhibit.
Black Drongo
The Black drongo (Dicrurus macrocercus) is a sleek, aggressive songbird found across Asia from Iran through India to Indonesia. This species is entirely glossy black with a distinctive forked tail, red eyes, and a slightly hooked bill. They’re medium-sized birds, roughly 11 inches in length, with long tail streamers.
Black drongos inhabit open woodlands, agricultural areas, parks, and gardens throughout their range. They’re sit-and-wait predators that perch prominently on wires, branches, or posts, making aerial sallies to catch flying insects. These fearless birds aggressively defend their territories and will attack much larger birds, including hawks and crows.
You’ll often see Black drongos following farm animals or tractors to catch insects disturbed by their movement. They produce a variety of harsh calls, metallic notes, and surprisingly complex songs. Some individuals are skilled mimics that imitate other bird species and even mechanical sounds.
While Black drongos don’t occur naturally in North America, they’re sometimes spotted in zoos or private bird collections. In their native range, they’re considered beneficial birds because they consume large quantities of agricultural pests.
Black Phoebe
The Black phoebe (Sayornis nigricans) is a small flycatcher with crisp black and white plumage. Adults have entirely black heads, backs, wings, and tails with contrasting white bellies. They’re compact birds with upright posture, measuring about 6.5 inches in length, and they characteristically pump their tails while perched.
Black phoebes inhabit areas near water throughout the southwestern United States, from Oregon and California through Texas and into Central and South America.
They’re strongly associated with water sources and are typically found along streams, rivers, ponds, lakes, and even backyard fountains and pools. You’ll spot them perched on low branches, fences, or structures near water.
Pro Tip: Black phoebes are remarkably site-faithful, often returning to the same nesting locations year after year and sometimes for their entire lives.
These flycatchers hunt from perches, making short aerial flights to snatch flying insects before returning to the same or nearby perch. They build mud nests attached to vertical surfaces under bridges, building eaves, or cliff overhangs, always near water. Their call is a simple, rising “tee-hee” followed by a descending note.
Black phoebes are year-round residents in most of their range and are among the most familiar birds in southwestern riparian habitats.
Black Kite
The Black kite (Milvus migrans) is a medium-sized raptor found across Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia. Despite the name, these birds are actually dark brown rather than true black, with paler heads, light patches on the underwings, and distinctively forked tails. They measure 19-24 inches in length with wingspans of 50-60 inches.
Black kites inhabit a wide variety of open habitats including grasslands, wetlands, agricultural areas, and urban environments throughout their range. They’re highly adaptable raptors that thrive around human activity and are often seen scavenging at garbage dumps, fish markets, and urban centers. In some Asian cities, Black kites are among the most visible raptors.
These opportunistic hunters feed on carrion, fish, small mammals, reptiles, insects, and garbage. They’re skilled aerial hunters that often hunt in groups and may steal food from other birds. Black kites are partially migratory, with northern populations moving south for winter.
Important Note: Black kites don’t occur naturally in the Americas. Any “black kite” sightings in North America would be extremely rare vagrants or misidentifications.
Watch for their distinctive forked tail and elegant, buoyant flight style as they quarter over open ground searching for food.
Melodious Blackbird
The Melodious blackbird (Dives dives) is a medium-sized blackbird native to Central America and Mexico, with its range extending just barely into southern Texas. Males are entirely glossy black with slight blue or greenish iridescence, while females are similar but slightly duller. They have thick, pointed bills and relatively long tails.
These blackbirds inhabit forest edges, open woodlands, plantations, parks, and gardens from southern Mexico through Central America. In the United States, they’re rare visitors to southernmost Texas, particularly in the Rio Grande Valley. They prefer semi-open habitats with scattered trees and are often found near human habitation.
As their name suggests, Melodious blackbirds are accomplished singers with rich, varied songs that include melodious whistles, warbles, and trills. They’re quite different from the harsh calls of many North American blackbirds. These birds forage in trees and on the ground, feeding on insects, fruits, and seeds.
Melodious blackbirds are typically seen in pairs or small groups and are less gregarious than many other blackbird species. They build cup-shaped nests in trees or shrubs and are year-round residents throughout most of their range. In Texas, they’re considered rare but regular visitors, with sightings most likely in areas with mature trees and fruiting plants near the Mexican border.
