BREWER'S BLACKBIRDS 



{Scolecophagus cyanocephalus) 



BREWER'S BLACKBIRDS nest in 

 good numbers in Strawberry Valley in 

 the Wasatch Mountains. The male 

 Brewer is a shiny black, with a purplish sheen 

 on the head ; the female brownish, more or less 

 streaked. The calls and song of this species 

 resemble those of the bronzed grackles, though 

 lower and less forceful. While the male 

 Brewer does not have the wedge-shaped tail 

 and the female grackle is darker, in other re- 

 spects, including their habits, the two species 

 are much alike. 



As I was walking around the south end of 

 Strawberry Valley one afternoon early in 

 June, I noticed a number of Brewer's black- 

 birds near the shore. As I approached, they 



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