The Brewers blackbird (Euphagus cyanocephalus) is a species of bird found throughout much of western North America. It is named for the 19th century American ornithologist Thomas Mayo Brewer. But why is it specifically called a “Brewers” blackbird, and where did this distinctive name come from? In this article, we’ll explore the origins and history behind the naming of this familiar backyard bird.
Who Was Thomas Mayo Brewer?
Thomas Mayo Brewer (1814-1880) was an American naturalist and ornithologist from Boston, Massachusetts. He had a keen interest in birds from a young age, and went on to become one of the pioneering ornithologists of North America during the 19th century.
Some key facts about Thomas Brewer:
- Born in Boston in 1814
- Developed a passion for natural history and ornithology as a young man
- Published his first scientific paper describing new bird species in 1839
- Named the Grey Pileated Finch (today called the Grey Pileated Woodpecker) in 1839 – his first species naming
- Closely involved in the establishment of the Nuttall Ornithological Club in Boston in 1873, one of the first ornithological societies in America
- Published numerous books and articles documenting and describing North American birds
- Served as Chair of the Boston Society of Natural History for many years
- Died in Boston in 1880 at the age of 65
So in summary, Thomas Brewer was one of the leading American ornithological experts of his era. He had a long and productive career describing and classifying many new bird species across North America.
Brewer’s Work on Western Birds
In addition to his work in the east, Brewer also took a strong interest in the birds of western North America. In the mid-1800s, the western US was still relatively unexplored territory for ornithologists. Brewer aimed to change that.
Some of Brewer’s key contributions to western American ornithology included:
- Conducting field research expeditions to California and Texas in the 1850s to collect specimens and make firsthand observations of local species
- Building an extensive collection of western bird specimens, obtained through his own fieldwork and exchanges with other collectors
- Describing several new western species for the first time, including the Black-chinned Sparrow (1854)
- Publishing an important paper titled “Characters of some new Sylvicolinae, with descriptions of new species” in the Proceedings of the Boston Society of Natural History in 1858
- Naming and describing the Sage Thrasher (1858) and the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (1859) from specimens in his collection
So Brewer made some of the earliest and most influential contributions to identifying and classifying birds native to western North America. He provided the scientific descriptions for a number of iconic western species that still bear his name today.
Naming of the Brewers Blackbird
The Brewers blackbird was one of the many western bird species first described and named by Thomas Mayo Brewer.
Here is some background on the naming of the Brewers blackbird:
- First collected by Dr. James Graham Cooper, an American surgeon and naturalist, while conducting a survey of Pacific railroad routes in the Washington Territory in the 1850s.
- Cooper provided specimens and descriptions of the blackbird to Thomas Brewer at the Smithsonian Institution.
- Brewer studied the specimens and concluded it was an undescribed species. He published the first formal scientific description of the bird in the Proceedings of the Boston Society of Natural History in 1858.
- As the authority who first described it, Brewer had the honor of naming the species. He chose the name Euphagus cyanocephalus.
- The common name “Brewer’s Blackbird” was also bestowed in recognition of Brewer’s contribution.
So in summary, while Cooper first collected the bird, it was Ornithologist Thomas Brewer who received the specimens, identified it as a new species, described it scientifically for the first time, and gave it its Latin and common names, in the process immortalizing his own name in the bird’s identity.
Description of the Brewers Blackbird
So what kind of bird is the Brewers blackbird that Brewer named? Here is a brief physical description:
- Size: 7.5 to 9.75 inches long with a wingspan of about 13 to 15 inches
- Weight: 1.5 to 3 ounces
- Appearance: Entirely black except for golden yellow eyes. The males have a bright purplish-blue sheen on their heads.
- Distinctive features: White wing patches visible during flight. Very long black tail with white outer feathers. Pointed black bill.
- Voice: A variety of squeaks, grunts and chuckles. Melodious warbled song.
So in summary, the Brewers blackbird is a medium-sized, mostly black songbird with a striking blue-purplish head coloring on the males of the species. Their white wing patches make them easily identifiable during flight.
Range and Habitat
The Brewers blackbird can be found across much of western and central North America. This table summarizes its distribution and population:
Region | Population and Range |
---|---|
Alaska | Up to 2 million. Found across mainland Alaska. |
Canada | Around 3.6 million. Breeds from British Columbia to southwestern Ontario. |
Western USA | 11 million birds. Year-round range west of a line from northwest Texas to North Dakota to Washington state. |
Midwest USA | Around 1 million. Breeds from North Dakota to western Ohio. |
The Brewers blackbird occupies a range of habitats across its large North American distribution:
- Parklands
- Grasslands
- Sagebrush
- Desert scrub
- Farmlands
- Suburban neighborhoods
- Riparian woodlands
- Mountain meadows
It is quite adaptable and can thrive around human settlements, especially where there are trees for nesting.
Diet and Feeding
The Brewers blackbird has an omnivorous diet, feeding on a diverse mix of plant and animal material. Their diet includes:
- Seeds (e.g. grains, grasses)
- Fruits (e.g. berries, raisins)
- Nuts
- Buds
- Cereal crops (e.g. corn, oats, wheat)
- Insects (e.g. beetles, grasshoppers, caterpillars)
- Spiders
- Worms
- Lizards and frogs
- Small fish
- Eggs and young of other birds
- Carrion
- Garbage and food scraps provided by humans
They employ a variety of foraging methods to obtain this diverse diet:
- Gleaning on the ground for seeds and insects
- Probing into soil and litter
- Foraging on crops directly in agricultural fields
- Plucking fruits and seeds from bushes and low branches
- Flying out from perches to catch insects (hawking)
- Feeding at bird feeders provided by humans
- Opportunistic scavenging
This adaptability and variation in their feeding habits helps explain why Brewers blackbirds thrive around human settlements. They make the most of supplemental food sources.
Breeding and Nesting
Brewers blackbirds build open, cup-shaped nests out of mud, foliage, grass, rootlets, and stems. They are loosely constructed, with loose materials hanging down from the sides.
Nest locations include:
- In low shrubs and saplings
- Among twigs in trees
- On horizontal branches in conifers
- In marsh vegetation like cattails
- On human structures like eaves, gutters, and light fixtures
- 3 to 25 feet above ground
Females lay 3-5 pale bluish eggs with blackish markings. Incubation lasts 12-14 days. Chicks fledge from the nest around 13-17 days after hatching.
Brewers blackbirds are monogamous during each breeding season. But they frequently switch mates between years. Males help feed the young while they are still in the nest.
Some key numbers:
- Incubation: 12-14 days
- Time in nest: 13-17 days
- Broods per year: 1-3
- Average clutch size: 3-5 eggs
So in summary, Brewers blackbirds build adaptably simple nests in a variety of locations, lay medium-sized clutches, and have a relatively short nesting period before fledging their young.
Behavior and Ecology
The Brewers blackbird exhibits some notable behaviors and ecological characteristics:
- Sociality: Feed and roost in large mixed flocks in winter. Flocks can number in the tens or hundreds of thousands.
- Migration: Northern populations migrate south for the winter. Some southern populations are year-round residents.
- Communication: Males sing a melodious warbling song to attract mates and defend territories.
- Intelligence: They are considered one of the most intelligent blackbird species, with the ability to innovate and use new food sources.
- Damage to crops: Can cause localized damage to cereal grain crops, sunflower, and fruit crops.
- Self-defense: Will vigorously defend nests from potential predators with loud alarm calls and mobbing tactics.
So some of the Brewers blackbird’s most notable qualities include its complex vocalizations, high intelligence, social flocking behavior, and adaptability to exploit new resources, both natural and human-provided.
Population Status
The Brewers blackbird still has a widespread distribution and large total population size across North America. Population trends over the past few decades:
- Estimated population in the mid-1990s: About 19 million individual adults in North America.
- Current total population: Approximately 18 million adults.
- Population trend: Decreased slightly by about 5% between 1966 and 2015, according to the North American Breeding Bird Survey.
- Current global conservation status: Least concern, according to the IUCN Red List.
Despite a small declining trend in parts of its range, the species remains common and populations are generally stable across the western half of North America. They adapt readily to human landscapes.
Major threats that can cause localized declines include:
- Habitat loss in their breeding range
- Disturbance of nesting sites
- Collisions with vehicles and infrastructure
- Pesticides reducing insect food supplies
But while their numbers have dropped modestly in recent decades, the Brewers blackbird remains one of the most widespread and familiar blackbird species in North America today.
Significance of Thomas Brewer’s Contribution
While not excessively rare or threatened at present, the fact remains – if it weren’t for Thomas Mayo Brewer, the Brewers blackbird may have remained an obscure unclassified bird of the American west for many more years.
Brewer’s decision to describe and classify the species in 1858 was what officially introduced it to the scientific community and embedded his name in its identity for all time. We cannot be certain when another ornithologist may have documented it if Brewer had not beat them to it.
He also named and described several other iconic western species. In playing this leading role in nineteenth century American ornithology, Brewer helped advance the scientific understanding of North American avian diversity.
While common birds like the Brewers blackbird don’t garner as much conservation concern today as endangered species, they still hold value. Brewer helped bring recognition to the entire ecological community of birds inhabiting the American west – not just the rarest species.
So while his name may not be widely known today outside of ornithological circles, Thomas Mayo Brewer’s contributions were important in his time. The persistence of his name in the Brewers blackbird continues to commemorate his legacy over 150 years later.
Conclusion
In summary, the Brewers blackbird was named in honor of Thomas Mayo Brewer, one of the pioneering American ornithologists who conducted early explorations of the birds inhabiting the American west in the mid-1800s.
Brewer is credited with first formally describing and classifying the blackbird species in 1858 based on specimens provided to him from an earlier expedition. Along with its Latin name Euphagus cyanocephalus, he gave it the common English name recognizing his own role in its discovery.
Since then, the Brewers blackbird has become established as a familiar and iconic bird across much of western and central North America. While not considered a species of major conservation concern today, it remains a testament to the contributions of early naturalists like Thomas Brewer who advanced the formal scientific understanding of avian diversity.
So next time you encounter a Brewers blackbird, recognize it as a living reminder of the ornithologists whose work first documented the species. Their contributions live on through the names of the birds that have now become so integral to landscapes across North America.