Are Tricolored Blackbirds Here to Stay?

By Nicholas Niendorf, GEAS Guest Blogger

At least 20 Tricolored Blackbirds have been observed in Payette County, ID, in 2023. This is the first documented appearance of the bird in Idaho. Whether this foray into Idaho is a blip or a sign of things to come remains to be seen. Known as “California’s Blackbird,” most of the global population is found in California’s Central Valley and western Sierra foothills. The Tricolored Blackbird is slightly larger than the Red-winged Blackbird and sports a white wingbar. The large flocks fly in wide wedge patterns unlike the scattered formation of Red-winged Blackbirds.

Tricolored Blackbird in Payette County by Louisa Evers

Are We Experiencing a Range Shift?

Dr. Emilie Graves, who teaches ornithology at Sacramento State University, said that Tricolored Blackbirds are considered a nomadic species by some and have a penchant for finding food and suitable habitats across large geographic areas.

“Time will tell if it’s a one-off vagrancy event or a more persistent range shift or expansion,” Dr. Graves said.

Dr. Graves, along with Ian Souza-Cole, will talk about Tricolored Blackbirds on Tuesday, May 16th at 7:00 pm over Zoom for Golden Eagle Audubon Society. Dr. Graves has been researching Tricolored Blackbirds since 2008 and works as a biologist for the United States Fish & Wildlife Service in addition to teaching. Souza-Cole is a Senior Coordinator at Audubon California working with parties in the Central Valley to help protect the most at-risk Tricolor colonies.

They’ll discuss Tricoloreds, the dangers the birds currently face, and the work being done to protect them.

Collaborative Conservation in California

“The collaborative conservation efforts to protect Tricolored Blackbirds in California has been inspiring, and there have been many invaluable partners in the work to preserve this special species,” Dr. Graves said. “State and federal agencies, researchers, agricultural partners, and conservation groups have all worked together for years to ensure that Tricolors are able to persist.”

By partnering with dairy farmers and improving the depth and consistency of data available, they aim to protect the largest Tricolored colonies and educate key stakeholders in the region.

“Tricolored Blackbirds have faced a lot of persecution because of their tendency to forage in crop fields,” Heidi Ware Carlisle, education and outreach director at the Intermountain Bird Observatory, said. “They were shot in large numbers historically, which certainly contributed to their status as an endangered species in California. In present day, continued habitat loss and colony loss due to harvesting crops is their biggest issue.”

Tricolors breed in massive colonies and often rely on agricultural lands for nesting due to loss of their natural habitats. The location of the colonies makes them particularly vulnerable to human actions.

Nest Vulnerability

Harvesting can devastate Tricolors’ nests before the young birds have left the nest. The size of those giant colonies can also lead to the perception that Tricolor populations are at a healthy level.

“This species, like the Passenger Pigeon, probably also suffers from the misconception that, because you see large flocks all at once at breeding colonies, the species must be doing well,” Ware Carlisle said.

Organizations like the Tricolored Blackbird Working Group, which includes Audubon California and the Fish and Wildlife service, are working to help correct this perception. Dr. Graves and Souza Cole will be presenting on the exciting results of the triennial California survey from 2022 in their Zoom talk.

The May 16 talk is FREE, but you need to register to get the Zoom link. Register here.

GEAS volunteer Nick Niendorf is originally from Illinois and enjoys bird feeding, movies, and writing in his free time.

Tricolored Blackbird chicks in a California farm field by William J. Hamilton