Rusty Blackbirds

As a Master's student at the University of Maine, I began studying this rare and declining species in 2006. I continue to be involved with research and conservation of Rusty Blackbirds, including working with students and publishing broader efforts to understand the species biology and ecology.

The International Rusty Blackbird Working Group has a slick website: www.RustyBlackbird.org. The website has a (nearly) complete bibliography on research published on the species.

Here's a video of how to create a leg loop harness for a bird using Stretch Magic bead cord.

At the American Union of Ornithologists' meeting in summer 2014, I gave the introductory talk on a symposium dedicated to research on the species.

The issue:

Rusty Blackbirds (Euphagus carolinus) are in the midst of a precipitous population decline, having lost about 90% of their numbers since the mid 1960s. For my Master's thesis project at the University of Maine, I attempted to bridge some of the knowledge gap by studying various aspects of the Rusty Blackbird's breeding biology. Here you can download a copy of my MS thesis (PDF), four publications and a monitoring plan. My collaborators and I recently had a manuscript on habitat occupancy accepted in the ornithological journal The Condor.

Powell, L. L., Hodgman, T. P, Fiske, I. J., and Glanz, W. E (2014). Habitat occupancy of Rusty Blackbirds (Euphagus carolinus) breeding in northern New England. Condor: Ornithological Applications, 116: 122−133.

Powell, L. L., Hodgman, T. P, and Glanz, W. E (2010). Home ranges of Rusty Blackbirds breeding in wetlands: how much would buffers from timber harvest protect habitat? Condor, 112(4): 834−840.

Powell, L. L., Hodgman, T.P., Glanz, W. E, Osenton, J, and Fisher, C. (2010). Nest-site selection and nest survival of the Rusty Blackbird: does timber management adjacent to wetlands create ecological traps? Condor, 112(4): 800−809.

Powell, L. L., Hodgman, T.P., and Glanz, W. E. (2010). A loose colony of Rusty Blackbirds nesting in northern Maine. Northeastern Naturalist, 17(4): 639−646.

Powell, L. L. (2009). Long-term monitoring plan for Rusty Blackbirds in the Atlantic Northern Forest, Version 1.8. A technical report prepared for American Bird Conservancy.

Finally, Emma DeLeon recently completed an impressive thesis on Rusty Blackbirds in Louisiana for her Master's degree at LSU. View or download the PDF.