Starlings and Grackles and Blackbirds...Oh My!

Customer: “Help! There are black birds all over my feeders.”
Wild About Birds: “Are they Starlings, Grackles, or Blackbirds?”
Customer: “Oh, my...what’s the difference?”

We’re glad you asked! We hear the “black bird complaint” quite frequently and our recommendations vary according to species. So let’s try to figure out which bird we’re talking about and then we‘ll know how to deal with the problem!

European Starlings, year-round residents of the Cincinnati area, are not native birds. In 1890, 60 starlings were imported from Europe and released in New York’s Central Park; there are now more than 200 million of these birds on our continent aggressively fighting our native species for precious nesting sites! The 8½" starling has a short and stubby tail; it is iridescent black with a yellow bill during the summer; its black feathers are tipped with white and its bill is dark during the non-breeding months. Sometimes the only way to keep starlings away from the birdfeeding station is to suspend feeding mixed seed, peanuts and suet—the food items to which they are most attracted. Switch to straight black oil sunflower seed, safflower seed, or cardinal mix (50/50 black oil and safflower) to dissuade starlings.

The Common Grackle is black with an iridescent head and belly, dark bill, and yellow eyes. The 12" grackle’s tail is much longer than the starling’s tail. Grackles usually show up at feeders in great numbers in the spring and early fall. Grackles can clean out a sunflower feeder in one day! Switch to straight safflower seed to keep them away.

Two other black birds that can be a problem at the birdfeeding station are the Brown-headed Cowbird and the Red-winged Blackbird (the only “real” blackbird in the bunch!). The 7" Cowbird is black with a brown head, dark eyes, and dark bill. The Red-winged Blackbird is 8½", all black with a red and yellow shoulder patch which is sometimes not evident. Both of these species prefer sunflower seeds and can probably be kept at bay if you switch to safflower seed.

First identify your black birds—Starlings, Grackles, or Blackbirds—and then you’ll know how to deal with them!