What is that black bird on my bird feeder?

Identifying common black birds on your feeder in the Southeast

This page is intended to help our fellow “backyard birders” identify those black birds on, under or nearby their feeders. Here in the Metro-Atlanta area, we have a number of birds that appear black at some angles or in certain lighting. It’s pretty interesting that most of them look very different in direct sunlight than they do on a very overcast day. I’ve compiled a list of those that we have seen at our feeders in the past several years. We are hopeful that these images help you identify your mystery bird(s) and help further your knowledge of the birds in your backyard.

1. Common Grackle

A Common Grackle poses for his photo on a makeshift bird feeder.

A Common Grackle pauses between bites of his breakfast.

These birds appear very dark (and often shiny!) in direct sunlight and are approximately the same size as a Blue Jay. When they are young, they appear brownish-grey and as they mature the contrast gets more intense. On an overcast day you can see vivid purples and blues when you see their feathers. Grackles make some interesting sounds and we will attempt to capture some audio this Spring. The adults not only have very dark feathers but the adults have yellow eyes with black pupils.

2. American Crow

An American Crow perched on our deck railing for a snack

A fledgling American Crow already feeding itself at our dried mealworm plate.

Crows can be seen as a nuisance in some circles, but we find them to be very timid, intelligent and playful. Around 4-5 years ago, we started seeing a pair of crows early in the morning and later in the afternoon. They would arrive cautiously, and one would keep watch high up in a nearby tree as the other flew down and quickly gobbled up some C&S Suet Nuggets. After a bit they would swap positions and the other would come down for a bite. Around 2 years ago they had one baby and now the 3 of them come visit us nearly every day. They are actually very quiet unless there is a predator nearby. Crows really enjoy chasing away hawks, owls and even cats.

3. Brown-headed Cowbird (Male pictured on right)

A male and female Brown-headed Cowbird perch together.

In our experience the Brown-headed cowbird is a very quiet bird, the Brown-headed cowbirds will usually flock together with grackles and starlings in early Spring. The male is quite a bit darker (nearly black, except for the head which is very clearly a brownish color). The female is more of a brownish color throughout and to us, resembles a large female house finch. These are native birds that get a pretty bad bit of publicity because they lay their eggs in the nests of other bird species, forcing these unwilling hosts to raise these offspring as their own.

4. European Starling (Male)

An adult male European Starling perches momentarily for a photo.

Two Juvenile European Starlings wait for food from their parents, as a Grey Catbird looks on from behind them.

European Starlings were literally brought over from (you might have guessed it) Europe, back in the 1970’s. It was a science experiment that went a bit sideways. These birds formed massive flocks and were notorious for eating entire crops of grains. To this day, they are considered pests by many although you have to admit that they have very unique colors in the right lighting, and once you have seen up close it is hard to mistake them for other birds. They are noisy, and sometimes flocks will cover your feeders and often you will find them on the ground beneath your bird feeders in groups, walking erratically and moving a bit like chickens. If you feed Bluebirds and other birds as we do with dishes of dried mealworms, you may need to put these dishes away for a few days to get rid of these birds.

5. Red-Winged Blackbird (Male)

An adult male Red-winged Blackbird perches on a leafy branch.

A group of Red-winged Blackbirds gather to eat black-oil sunflower seeds and peanuts in the Winter.

Red-winged blackbirds are considered songbirds and often arrive in flocks from 20 birds to well over 300. they move around in tight formations on the ground and cover entire trees. One chipmunk moving across the yard can startle them and cause an incredible burst of flight (and sound of all the wings beating) as they evacuate the area. The female looks very dull in comparison to the male. The male is mostly black and when they spread their wings you can see Red, Orange and or orange-yellow on the wings. It is truly a sight to behold when they all take off at the same time (not to mention the sound of it!)

6. Rufous-Sided Towhee (Male, often referred to as “Eastern Towhee”)

An adult male Rufus-sided Towhee landed on a plate full of safflower seeds

A female Rufus-sided Towhee stands in the sunlight on our deck railing.

The Towhees are also songbirds which are quite beneficial in gardens. They can be heard whistling what sounds like “Tow – Heee” or as we prefer to call them “Toby”. They will usually be found lower in the trees and shrubs, or on the ground flipping leaves while looking for insects, spiders and worms to snack on. The male appears black with “rufous” or a rusty orange color beneath the wings, with a white stomach and a bit of white on the tail and wings which can be seen while in flight. The female is More of a brown color instead of black, but similar in other ways. The adults have Red eyes with black pupils. It’s super cool to see them up close. They enjoy eating C&S Suet Nuggets, mealworms on the ground in Winter, and many live insects found naturally in your yard.

7. Rose-Breasted Grosbeak (Male)

A female (left) and male (right) Rose-breasted Grosbeak share a meal.

An adult male Rose-breasted Grosbeak shows off his crisp black, red and white colors.

An adult male Rose-breasted Grosbeak enjoys Suet Nuggets.

The Rose-breasted Grosbeak is a larger songbird with a beak that resembles that of a finch or a cowbird. They are huge fans of safflower seeds or a mixture of safflower and hulled sunflower seeds. The female is the same size but looks completely different – she has lots of brown, splashes of white and streaks of brown on the belly in different shades. Here is a photo of a male and female together sharing a plate of seeds. The juvenile male looks like a combination of the two birds, but clearly has more black and sometimes a touch of the rose-breast feathers can be seen also!