Conspicuously Black 
The Bronzed Grackle ( Quiscalus quiscula ceneus ) differs from 
the preceding chiefly in the more brownish bronze tint of its 
plumage and its lack of iridescent bars. Its range is more west- 
erly, and in the southwest it is particularly common ; but as a 
summer resident it finds its way to New England in large num- 
bers. The call-note is louder and more metallic than the purple 
grackle’s. In nearly all respects the habits of these two birds are 
identical. 
Rusty Blackbird 
( Scolecophagus carolinus) Blackbird family 
Called also : THRUSH BLACKBIRD ; RUSTY GRACKLE ; 
RUSTY ORIOLE ; RUSTY CROW ; BLACKBIRD 
Length — 9 to 9.55 inches,. A trifle smaller than the robin. 
Male — In full plumage, glossy black with metallic reflections, 
intermixed with rusty brown that becomes more pronounced 
as the season advances. Pale straw-colored eyes. 
Female — Duller plumage and more rusty, inclining to gray. 
Light line over eye. Smaller than male. 
Range — North America, from Newfoundland to Gulf of Mexico 
and westward to the Plains. 
Migrations — April. November. A few winter north. 
A more sociable bird than the grackle, though it travel in 
smaller flocks, the rusty blackbird condescends to mingle freely 
with other feathered friends in marshes and by brooksides. You 
can identify it by its rusty feathers and pale yellow eye, and 
easily distinguish the rusty-gray female from the female redwing 
that is conspicuously streaked. 
In April flocks of these birds may frequently be seen along 
sluggish, secluded streams in the woods, feeding upon the seeds 
of various water or brookside plants, and probably upon insects 
also. At such times they often indulge in a curious spluttering, 
squeaking, musical concert that one listens to with pleasure. 
The breeding range is mostly north of the United States. But 
little seems to be known of the birds’ habits in their northern 
home. 
Why it should ever have been called a thrush blackbird is one 
of those inscrutable mysteries peculiar to the naming of birds 
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