Bird-Watchers Urgently Needed to Track Rusty Blackbirds

Citizen Scientists Use eBird to Monitor Alarming Drop in Numbers

[March 29, 2008]  ITHACA, N.Y. -- Populations of rusty blackbirds are crashing. Their numbers have plummeted as much as 88 percent to 98 percent over the last few decades, according to data gathered from 1966 to 2006 by the North American Breeding Bird Survey and Christmas Bird Count. Bird-watchers across North America are being asked to help scientists track migrating rusty blackbirds April 1-7. Participants can enter their tallies online at eBird, a bird checklist project developed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Audubon: www.ebird.org.

A century ago, the rusty blackbird was an incredibly abundant bird. Accounts from the period detail spectacular spring migrations between the species' wintering grounds in the bottomland forests of the southeastern United States and its breeding grounds in the forested wetlands of North America's vast boreal forest. Ornithological reports from New England and southern Canada describe waves of tens to hundreds of thousands of rusty blackbirds blackening the earth and clouding the sky in the spring. In many communities, the migration of rusty blackbirds was likened to the year's first chorus of tree frogs ­- a sign that spring had finally arrived.

These reports stand in stark contrast to the situation today. Rusty blackbird populations have suffered one of most staggering population declines of any bird in North America. A better understanding of the rusty blackbird's habitat requirements is key to conserving its remaining populations. Spring migration is an especially critical time. Rusty blackbirds congregate in large flocks, which may be particularly vulnerable to habitat losses, blackbird control programs or other disturbances. Unfortunately, very little is known about the natural history requirements of the rusty blackbird during its northward migration.

Scientists at Audubon and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology are appealing to bird-watchers to help fill this information gap by looking for rusty blackbirds migrating north April 1-7. The data collected and reported through eBird will help identify important migration stopover locations and habitats for conservation. It will help researchers examine whether long-term changes to key migration habitats are responsible for the species' decline.

If you are interested in participating, please collect the following information; then visit www.ebird.org to send your observations, taking note of:

• Date, time and location of the observations.

• Rusty blackbird flock size, including an estimate of number of males versus females.

• General behavior: flying, feeding, loafing (day), roosting (dawn, dusk, night).

• Habitat: agricultural field, scrub-shrub wetland, forested wetland, shores of rivers or creeks, shores of lakes or ponds.

• Comments: Please include "Rusty Blackbird Survey" in the comments section so scientists can determine whether you were specifically looking for rusty blackbirds during your birding expedition.

Rusty blackbirds are uncommon blackbirds typically found in wooded swamps and damp forests. At this time of year, their feathers are mostly blackish, with females having some rusty edges to the wings and body. Both sexes have "staring" pale eyes. Rusty blackbirds can sometimes be confused with other species such as the common grackle and the Brewer's blackbird. However the grackle is larger, and both these look-alikes have longer tails and thicker bills. The Brewer's blackbird is also found primarily in open fields rather than wooded areas. The female red-winged blackbird bears some resemblance to the rusty blackbird but has streaking on its underparts. To read more on identifying rusty blackbirds, visit http://ebird.org/content/ebird/
news/RUBL_Survey.html.

The eBird project was launched in 2002 by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society. It currently receives up to 50,000 bird checklists per month, providing raw data for maps and charts that reveal trends in bird populations and distribution across North America, Mexico and the Caribbean ­- one of the largest databases of bird observations in the world.

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More information about rusty blackbirds:

• Audubon Watch List

• Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center

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The Cornell Lab of Ornithology is a nonprofit membership institution interpreting and conserving the earth's biological diversity through research, education and citizen science focused on birds.

Now in its second century, Audubon connects people with birds, nature and the environment that supports us all. Audubon's national network of community-based nature centers, chapters, scientific, education and advocacy programs engages millions of people from all walks of life in conservation action to protect and restore the natural world.

[Text from file received from Cornell Lab of Ornithology]