Blackbirds

The term blackbird loosely refers to a diverse group of about 10 species of North American birds that belong to the avian family Icteridae. The most common species include: Red-winged blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus, Common grackle (Quiscalus quiscula), Great-tailed grackle (Quiscalus mexicanus), Brown-headed cowbird (Molothrus ater), Yellow-headed blackbird (Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus), Brewer’s blackbird (Euphagus cyanocephalus), and Rusty blackbird (Euphagus carolinus). They can cause damage to crops and fruits. Some of them may cause damage to livestock feed in feedlots and some of them may be a cause for concern in the future, due to the potential for disease transmission, with their expanding range. There is potential to amplify and spread disease to humans such as avian influenza although there is no evidence that this happened. Blackbirds are native migratory birds, and thus come under the jurisdiction of the Federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA), a formal treaty with Canada, Mexico, Japan, and Russia. Blackbirds have federal protection in the U.S.