Journey North Red-winged Blackbirds

Red-winged Blackbird

Field Guide to Black Birds

Many kinds of black birds are common in North America. How many can you find in your area?

Crow Family

American Crow

Common Raven

Look for these features to be sure your bird is in the CROW FAMILY:

Huge body
In flight, you can count the wingbeats, and the primary wing feathers stick out like fingers
Black feathers, bill, and eyes

To tell whether your bird is a crow or a raven, listen to its voice. Ravens "croak;" crows "caw." Click on the photos to see other differences.

Starling Family


European Starling	European Starling

Look for these features to be sure your bird is a STARLING:

Short tail
Yellowish bill
Tiny flecks on the plumage (not always visible)
Black eyes
In flight, the wing beats are much too fast to count, and the wings appear pointed and triangular

Blackbird Family

Brown-headed Cowbirds


Common Grackle	Common Grackles


Yellow-headed Blackbird	Red-winged Blackbird

Other Possibilities: Brewer's Blackbird, Rusty Blackbird

Look at these features to be sure your bird is in the BLACKBIRD FAMILY:

Medium or long tail
Black bill
Black or yellow eyes
Wingbeats too fast to count, wings rounded

Try This: Field Guide Research
Look up these black birds in a field guide. See what other species belong to their families. Does the field guide give other hints to help you identify them?

Try This! Journaling Questions

If you could classify birds any way you wanted, would you place these black birds in three different families or all in the same one? Why or why not?
Do you like the way birds are organized in your field guide? How would you change the book's organization if you were a field guide author? What would you keep the same?