BLACKBIRD. Any of several different birds prevailingly black in plumage; in America, a member of the family leterid:e. About a dozen species dwell in the United State. They agree in the possession of a rather long and slender beak, with cutting edges, and have only nine primaries in the wing; but are distinguished from each other by size and color. The males, when in full plumage, are always more strikingly colored than the females, and generally the con trast is very great. In most of the species the female is not black at all, and the young re semble her. The largest of the American black birds are those known as crow-blackbirds—or, more properly, grakles (q.v.)—one species of which reaches a length of 18 inches, but is not so heavy as a crow. The other blackbirds are much smaller—less than a foot in length—and are distinguished from each other chiefly by color. In the eastern States we have only the cowbird (q.v.) and the red-winged blackbird (Agclains phernieens). the former uni form lustrous black, with a brown head, and the latter jet-black, with a scarlet patch on each 'shoulder.' (See REDWING.) In the middle West, besides the Eastern species, there occurs the handsome yellow-headed blackbird (Xantho eephalus .ranthocephalus), in which the whole head and throat is yellow, or even orange. The Pacific. Coast has also the red and Nrhile shoul dered blackbird (Agelains tricolor), which is bluish-blaek, with a dark blood-red patch on the wing, bordered with pure white. All of these
species, except the cowbirds, frequent marshy grounds or swamps to breed, and often gather in large flocks, the more especially during the mi grations. They feed on almost everything in the insect or vegetable line; but though they sometimes damage corn-tiela, they are beyond question beneficial. The nests are built on or near the ground in the swamps, among reeds or small bushes, and are composed chiefly of dried grass and reeds. The eggs are pale-blue or gray ish-green, scrawled or spotted with brown.
In the Western States the lark-hunting ( Ca la noospia tnela»oeorys) is sometimes called the white-winged blackbird, while in the Ea%t the bobolink is frequently called the skunk blackbird, on account of its peculiar markings; and in Florida and the West Indies the ani is commonly termed savanna blackbird.
In Europe the name blackbird is given to an entirely different bird, the merle, a thrush (Venda merula). It occurs throughout Europe, in North Africa, and in the Azores. The male is deep black, while the female and young are rusty brown. Like the other thrushes, the merle is chiefly insectivorous, though it often eats fruit, and is a tine singer, although the notes are somewhat too loud to make it an ac ceptable cage-bird. See Plates of BLAcKnons and of EGGS OF SONG-Bums.