Identify by colour
Black birds at the feeder
Grackles, red-winged blackbirds, cowbirds, starlings and crows – how to tell the black birds at your feeder apart.
European Starling
Glossy black with purple and green sheen
Brown-headed Cowbird
Glossy black with a contrasting brown head.
Downy Woodpecker
White back, striped face, very short stubby bill, black bars on white outer tail feathers
Red-winged Blackbird
Black with red shoulder patches (epaulets), usually bordered with yellow.
Hairy Woodpecker
Black and white with a white back patch, bill nearly as long as its head, clean white outer tail
Common Grackle
Glossy black with an iridescent blue or purple head, pale eye and long creased tail.
Pileated Woodpecker
Very large, mostly black with a red crest and white neck stripe
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Black-and-white barred back, buffy face and chest
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Black-and-white face, red forehead cap, red throat, white wing stripe and a pale yellow wash on the belly.
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Black head and back, white belly, rosy triangle on the chest and big white wing spots.
Eastern Towhee
Black hood and back, rusty sides, white belly stripe and big white tail corners.
Black-capped Chickadee
Black cap and bib, white cheeks, grey back and a buff wash on the sides.
Carolina Chickadee
Black cap and bib, bright white cheeks, soft grey back and pale buff or grey flanks.
Spotted Towhee
Dark hood and back with bold white spots, rusty sides and white belly.
Black-headed Grosbeak
Black head, orange-brown body and black-and-white wings.
Great-tailed Grackle
Glossy black with a very long tail and yellow eyes
Mountain Chickadee
Black cap broken by a white eyebrow, black bib and grey body.
Boat-tailed Grackle
Glossy black with a long keel-shaped tail
Pied Wagtail
Black and white with a black bib, white face and a long tail it wags constantly.
Acorn Woodpecker
Clown-faced: black above and on the chest, red cap, strong face pattern and white eyes.
Blackbird
Black with an orange-yellow bill and yellow eye-ring.
Coal Tit
Black cap and bib, white cheeks, a white nape patch and an olive-grey back with pale wing bars.
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Black and white with red under the tail
Great Tit
Glossy black head with white cheeks, bluish-green back and yellow breast split by a black stripe.
Jackdaw
Small black crow with a grey hood around the back of the head, a black cap and pale blue-grey eyes.
Ladder-backed Woodpecker
Black-and-white 'ladder' barring on the back and wings, cream underparts
Magpie
Black and white with a long tail
Carrion Crow
Big, glossy all-black crow with a large, blunt black beak.
Nuttall's Woodpecker
Black back with narrow white barring and thin white face stripes
House Sparrow
Grey crown, chestnut nape, black bib and whitish cheeks.
Northern Flicker
Brown with black-barred back, black chest patch and spotted belly
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Bright yellow rump, yellow patches at the sides of the chest and white tail spots.
Dark-eyed Junco
Variable: slate-grey and white in the East, black hood with chestnut back in the 'Oregon' form
American Goldfinch
Summer male bright yellow with black wings, tail and forehead.
Cedar Waxwing
Sleek brown with a short crest, narrow black mask, yellow belly, yellow tail tip and red waxy wing tips.
Gray Catbird
Smooth grey all over with a black cap and chestnut under the tail.
White-breasted Nuthatch
White face and chest, blue-grey back and narrow black crown stripe.
Blue Jay
Crested jay, blue-grey back, bright blue wings and tail, black necklace, white wing bars and tail corners.
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Black eye stripe, white eyebrow, buffy-orange underparts and blue-grey back.
Northern Cardinal
Crimson red with a crest, a black face mask and a massive pinkish-red bill.
White-crowned Sparrow
Bold black-and-white head stripes, pearly-grey breast and a pink, orange or yellow bill.
Baltimore Oriole
Flaming orange and black.
Eurasian Collared-Dove
Pale pinky-brown-grey with a narrow black neck collar and deep red eyes.
Red-headed Woodpecker
Solid black, white and red: all-red head and big white wing patches.
Steller's Jay
Very dark jay, the only all-dark jay with a crest
Bullock's Oriole
Orange with an orange face and more white in the wing than a Baltimore Oriole.
Evening Grosbeak
Grey and gold with a big pale bill, yellow eyebrow on a dark head and a big white patch in black wings.
Lesser Goldfinch
Yellow below with a black or green back and white wing patches.
Black-chinned Hummingbird
Green above with a black chin
Harris's Sparrow
Large sparrow with a black face on a buff or grey head, pink bill and bright white belly.
Chestnut-backed Chickadee
Sooty brown cap, black bib, white cheeks and rich chestnut back and sides.
Golden-crowned Sparrow
Summer adults have black head stripes around a gold crown patch
Tree Sparrow
Chestnut crown, black cheek spot on a white cheek and a small black bib.
Blackcap
Greyish warbler with a black cap.
Bullfinch
Pinkish-red breast and cheeks, grey back, black cap and tail and a bright white rump.
Goldfinch
Red face, black-and-white head, warm brown back and black-and-yellow wings.
Jay
Pinkish-brown crow with a bright blue wing panel, black moustache, white rump and black tail.
Long-tailed Tit
Pink ('blush'), black and white plumage with a tail longer than its body.
Siskin
Streaky yellow-green with a black crown and bib and yellow wing and tail patches.
Gambel's Quail
Grey quail with a curving topknot, reddish cap, white-striped chestnut sides and a black patch on a yellowish
Varied Thrush
Orange throat and eyebrow, dark chest band and extensive orange wing markings.
Abert's Towhee
Warm buffy brown with a black face and pale grey bill.
Cactus Wren
Large wren, boldly barred, striped and spotted, with a sharp white eyebrow.
Hooded Oriole
Orange hood, black throat and back, white shoulder.
Ring-necked Parakeet
Pale green parakeet with a very long pointed tail, red bill, black chin and a black-and-pink collar.
Black-crested Titmouse
Grey and white with a black crest, white forehead and orange-tinged flanks.
Brambling
Orange breast, white belly and white rump
Common Myna
Brown body, black hooded head, bare yellow patch behind the eye, yellow bill and legs.
Gila Woodpecker
Black-and-white barred back, wings and tail
Black bird with red wings
Black bird with red wings? A red-winged blackbird
A black bird with red shoulder patches, often edged in yellow, is a male red-winged blackbird. Females are streaky brown and look more like a large sparrow. They come to feeders for seed and cracked corn, most often in spring and summer.
Questions
Black birds: questions
What black birds come to feeders?
European Starling, Brown-headed Cowbird, Downy Woodpecker, Red-winged Blackbird, Hairy Woodpecker, Common Grackle, Pileated Woodpecker, Red-bellied Woodpecker.
Why does the bird look duller than in the photos?
Many species show their brightest colours only in adult males in spring and summer; females, young birds and winter plumage are often duller.
How do I find out which black birds live near me?
Choose your state or UK nation in the filter above, or enter your ZIP code on the home page for the birds within 30 km.
By colour