Birds that are black and blue are commonly visible, however, black birds with blue heads need to be differentiated. The colors that appear among the bird species can vary significantly from one species to another. Let me list down some of them.
Black Birds With Blue Heads
1. The Purple Sunbird
The purple sunbird is a small bird that belongs to the sunbird family Nectariniidae. They mostly breed in South and Southeast Asia but extend west into parts of the Arabian peninsula. The body length ranges between 9 to 12 cm and the average weight is 5 to 11 grams. The avarage lifespan of now the purple sunbird is upto 22 years in captivity. They are mostly seen in countries such as Afghanistan, the Indian subcontinent, and South East Asia. Their diet consists of nectar, and occasionally insects, spiders, and berries.
Image Source: Wikimedia
2. The Common Grackle Bird
The Common grackle is one of the popular black birds with a blue head mostly seen in much of the North American region. The body length of bird species ranges between 28 to 34 cm and the average weight is 74 to 142 grams. The avarage flying speed of a bird is upto 48 km/h and the total wingspan is between 36 to 46 cm. The dietary habit is omnivorous and feeds on insects, minnows, frogs, eggs, berries, seeds, grain, and even small birds and mice.
Image Source: Sandeep Somasekharan
3. The Rook Bird
The rook bird is a passerine order of birds and the crow family. The body length of the rock bird is between 45 to 47 cm, however, it is slightly lower than the Carrion Crow. The diet primarily consists of earthworms and insect larvae, however, it also feeds on cultivated cereal grain, smaller amounts of fruit, small mammals such as voles, acorns, and the eggs of ground-nesting birds. They are seen in much of Eurasia and the Middle East. However, they are largely absent from northern regions and Russia.
4. The Starling Bird
The starling bird is a medium-sized bird species that belongs to the starling family, Sturnidae. The body length ranges between 19 to 23 cm and the average wieght is between 58 to 101 grams. The avarage lifespan of a starling bird is 2 to 23 years. The primary diet consists of spiders, crane flies, moths, mayflies, dragonflies, damselflies, grasshoppers, earwigs, lacewings, caddisflies, flies, beetles, sawflies, bees, wasps, and ants. They have been also seen feeding on earthworms, snails, small amphibians, lizards, grains, seeds, fruits, nectar, and food waste.
5. The Purple Martin
The purple martin is a passerine bird belonging to the swallow family Hirundinidae. The body length of purple Martin is between 19 to 20 cm and the average wieght is between 45 to 60 grams. The average flying speed is upto 64 km/h with a total wingspan between 39 to 41 cm. The avarage lifespan of the purple Martin is upto 13 years. The bird breeds in eastern North America, and also in some locations on the west coast from British Columbia to Mexico. During the winter season, it migrates to the Amazon basin. The primary diet consists of various insects including fire ants, bugs, flies, butterflies, dragonflies, grasshoppers, crickets, moths, wasps, bees, cicadas, some spiders, and termites.
Image Source: Wikimedia
6. Brewer’s Blackbird
The Brewer’s blackbird is also one of the black birds with blue heads named after the ornithologist Thomas Mayo Brewer. The body length of a brewer’s bird is between 20 to 25 cm in length and the average wieght is between 50 to 86 grams. The diet primarily consists of seeds and insects, some berries. They also catch insects while in flight and usually feed in flocks outside the breeding season. The avarage lifespan of Brewer’s Blackbird is upto 10 years. It is also listed as one of the black birds in Florida.
Image Source: Wikimedia
7. Indigo bunting
The indigo bunting is a small seed-eating blue colored bird that belongs to the cardinal family, Cardinalidae. The total length is between 11 to 15 cm and the average weight is between 11 to 21 grams. They are migratory birds during breeding season they used to travel through southern Florida to northern South America during the winter and hence listed as one of the birds in North Carolina.
The avarage lifespan of Indigo bunting is upto 13 years. The dietary habits of one of the blue birds in Florida are carnivores and herbivores in nature and feed on insects, seeds, and berries, including caterpillars, grasshoppers, spiders, beetles, and grass seeds during the breeding season. It is also listed as one of the popular black and blue birds in the world.
8. Jamaican Blackbird
The Jamaican blackbird is a bird species that belongs to the oriole family Icteridae. The body length of a Jamaican blackbird is between 18 to 23 mm and the average weight is upto 41.1 grams. The bird species are endemic to Jamaica, restricted to Cockpit Country, some central areas, and the Blue and John Crow Mountains. It can be identified easily with a small icterid with all-black plumage and a short tail that is often flayed. The diet includes epiphytes, moss-covered trunks, and dead leaves, picking various insects.
Image Source: Wikimedia
9. Boat-tailed grackle
The boat-tailed grackle is a bird species that belongs to the family Icteridae. It is a permanent resident on the coasts of the Southeastern United States. The body length of boat-tailed gravel is between 37 to 43 cm and avarice wieght is between 165 to 250 grams. The primary diet consists of forage on the ground, in shallow water, and in shrubs. They will also steal food from other birds and loves to feed on insects, minnows, frogs, eggs, berries, seeds, grain, and even small birds.
Image Source: Wikimedia
10. Greater Antillean
The Greater Antillean grackle is a grackle species that is seen throughout the Greater Antilles as well as smaller, nearby islands. The body length is upto 27 cm long and the wieght is upto 62 grams. It belongs to the family of New World blackbirds and prefers to thrive in forests, wetlands, urban areas, and marine intertidal regions. They are seen in small colonies and built the nest in a properly organized way with up to 25 nests. The avarage lifespan of greater Antillean is upto 17 years in the wild.
Image Source: Wikimedia
11. Great-Tailed Grackle
The great-tailed grackle also known as Mexican grackle is a medium-sized bird species native to North and South America. The body length of bird species is between 38 to 46 cm and the average weight is between 115 to 265 grams. The bird species is closely related to the boat-tailed grackle and the extinct slender-billed grackle.
The avarage lifespan of a Great-Tailed Grackle is upto 12 years in the wild. The adult male species can be identified with a purple-blue sheen on the feathers of the head and upper body, however, the females are brown with darker wings and tails. The dietary habit is omnivores in nature which feed on insects from grassy areas and eat lizards, nestlings, and eggs.
Image Source: Wikimedia
12. Shiny cowbird
The shiny cowbird is one of the common black birds in Florida where males are all black with a purple-blue iridescence. The female species are smaller along with dull brown plumage that is sometimes paler on the underparts. The primary diet consists of insects and seeds, and they have also seen foraging for grains in cattle troughs. These black and blue bird species do not form monogamous pairs since they have a promiscuous mating system where individuals will copulate with many different mates.
13. Black oropendola
The black oropendola is one of the black birds with blue heads that belong to the family cteridae (New World blackbirds). They are found in Colombia and Panama. Both males and females are similar in appearance but makes can grow to a length of about 46 cm (18 in) and the females about 39.5 cm (15.6 in).
The bird species is endemic to humid forests of northwestern South America and its range includes regions of northwestern Colombia, the Magdalena River, and the extreme southeastern part of Panama. The avarage lifespan of a black oropendola is upto 20 years in captivity.
Image Source: Wikimedia
14. Melodious blackbird
The melodious blackbird is a New World tropical bird that belongs to the family Icteridae. The adult male species can grow upto 25.5 cm (10.0 in) long and the average weight is upto 108 g (3.8 oz). Males are slightly smaller than females. Talking about the appearance, the adult plumage is entirely black with a bluish gloss and the bill, legs, and feet are also black. The bird species is the resident breeder of coastal eastern and south-eastern Mexico to Costa Rica, however, the range is now expanding to El Salvador and eastern Guatemala.
Image Source: Wikimedia
15. Scrub blackbird
The Scrub blackbird is one of the black birds with blue heads that belong to the family Icteridae. They are found in Ecuador and Peru and refers to thrive in regions equipped with subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and heavily degraded former forests. The bird species looks similar to the Shiny Cowbird but is distinguished by a more stocky body and by being noisy. Talking about the appearance, it is solid black and the tail is roundish.
Image Source: Wikimedia
16. Rusty blackbird
The rusty blackbird’s scientific name is Euphagus carolinus, which is a medium-sized bird species that belongs to the family Icteridae. It is closely related to the grackles and they prefer to thrive in wet forested areas, breeding in the boreal forest and muskeg across northern Canada. During the winter season, they migrate to the United States during winter. The adult species can be identified with a pointed bill and a pale yellow eye. The plumage is black along with faint green and purple gloss, however, the female is greyer. The avarage lifespan of a rusty blackbird is upto 8.8 years in the wild.
Image Source: Wikimedia
These are the list of black birds with blue heads. Kindly share and post your comments.
