Life List 098
Visually documented
Brewer’s Blackbird
Euphagus cyanocephalus
- First photographed
- July 1, 2026
- First location
- Colorado, United States
- Conservation status
- Near Threatened
An evolving study
Brewer’s Blackbird portfolio
This collection grows as I return to photograph new behavior, habitat, seasons, and stages of life.
Natural history
Species at a glance
Euphagus cyanocephalus
Overview
Brewer's Blackbird is a social western blackbird that forages by walking across open ground. Colonies nest in shrubs and low vegetation, while large mixed flocks gather in fields and developed areas outside the breeding season.
Identification
Adult males are glossy black with a purple head, greenish body sheen, and pale yellow eye. Females are plain gray-brown with a dark eye; both have a relatively slender bill and rounded tail.
Range
Breeds across western Canada and the western United States and winters through the western and southern United States and Mexico.
Habitat
Grasslands, marsh edges, farms, pastures, shorelines, parking areas, towns, and open woodland clearings.
Diet
Seeds, grain, insects, spiders, snails, and other small animals, plus human food scraps.
Photography by Brittany Templin
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