Family Icteridae
Yellow-headed Blackbird Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus
Status and abundance: Rare migrant and winter visitor.
Habitat: Usually found with other blackbirds foraging in agricultural fields, marshes, or at feeders.
Records and remarks: Yellow-headed Blackbirds are conspicuous birds that are hard to miss when present. It is possible that some join the millions of other blackbirds in the roosts in strip-mine land.
AUTUMN—1, Crab Orchard NWR, 9 Aug 2013 (W. Wood)
1, East Cape Girardeau, 15 Aug 2004 (J. Mountjoy)
imm., Carbondale, 25 Sep 1990 (BD)
male, Royalton, Franklin Co., 3 Nov 1993 (LS)
WINTER—3, Mermet Lake, 5 Dec 2002 (FB)
1, Massac Co. near airport, 30 Dec 2000 (KM, DK) and 2 there, 2 Jan 2001 (FB)
1, Alexander Co., 20 Jan 1992 (TF, JD, DK, C. Watkins)
pair, Carterville, Williamson Co., 12-14 Feb 1982 (WDR)
SPRING—7, Mermet Lake, 13 Mar 2000 (FB)
pair, Harrisburg, Saline Co., 29 Mar-13 Apr 1992 (G. Smart, JD)
male, Ozark, Johnson Co., 18 Apr 1990 (TF)
1, Oakwood Bottoms, 28-30 Apr 2015 (CT, JT)
2, near Jacob, Jackson Co., 11-12 May 2016 (HD, JT)
male, LaRue Pine Hills, 29 May 1979 (WDR)
Documentation: Photograph—male, Rudement, Saline Co., 21-22 Dec 1982 (SIU AP uncatalogued).
Bobolink Dolichonyx oryzivorus
Late April - Late May
Late August - Early October
Status and abundance: Uncommon spring migrant. Rare fall migrant. Very rare winter visitor.
Habitat: Large weedy fields, especially hayfields and those with clover, alfalfa, and mustards.
Records and remarks: A field covered with singing male Bobolinks is a spectacular sight. Perhaps partly because of their lovely song, Bobolinks are much more conspicuous during spring; they are probably numerically more common as well. Very few are detected during fall migration. There are no summer records, and consequently there is no evidence of breeding in the region.
SPRING—The first Bobolinks are usually noted during the last week of April. Numbers peak during the first week of May and then decline quickly until 20 May, after which only a few straggle behind.
120, Union Co., 12 Apr 1987 (TF)
140, Randolph Co., 4 May 2013 (TD)
183, Alexander Co., 5 May 1984 (TF, K. Richmond)
300, Jackson Co., 8 May 2003 (VK, VL, RR)
1, near Jacob, 1 Jun 2016 (DM)
AUTUMN—Migration extends primarily from late August through late September. Numbers do not seem to peak at any particular time, and in general Bobolinks are very difficult to find. Most often, a few fly-bys are heard calling during September.
6, Crab Orchard NWR, 6-7 Aug 2014 (W. Wood)
1, Carbondale, 27 Sep 1970 (VK)
4 in a milo field, Gorham, Jackson Co., 2 Oct 1993 (TF)
WINTER—1, Crab Orchard NWR, 6 Dec 1953 (Smith and Parmalee 1955:51)
1, Carterville, Williamson Co., 26 Jan 1983 (T. Evans)
Documentation: Specimen—ad. male, Carbondale, Jackson Co., 5 May 1966 (SIU A-1579).
Eastern Meadowlark Sturnella magna
Status and abundance: Common year-round resident.
Habitat: Weedy fields, large grassy fields (including airports), and agricultural lands.
Records and remarks: A familiar bird on fence posts and electrical wires in rural sections of our region. Two subspecies have been reported. Of 358 specimens, Hamilton and Klimstra (1985) identified 115 as S. m. magna, 175 as S. m. argutula, and the remainder as intergrades between the two subspecies. Migration definitely occurs, but the large breeding and wintering populations obscure the patterns. Like many grassland bird species, meadowlarks are at risk when fields are converted from mixed species of grasses to other forms of agricultural and when hayfields are harvested so early that nests are destroyed.
SPRING—ln warm winters, northward movements may begin during January, but a mid- to late February initiation is more typical. During migration, small flocks of up to 50 birds can be encountered regularly. Daily high counts can surpass 200 birds.
SUMMER—Nests have been discovered from April through July. Because nests are placed on the ground and are usually built under a ceiling of grasses, they require tremendous effort or luck to locate.
AUTUMN—Fall migration is inconspicuous. Some larger flocks, which may be composed of migrants, are seen in October and November.
WINTER—Groups of ten to forty or more birds ate routinely encountered during winter. Populations seem to be higher in the southern Floodplains and the Shawnee Hills than in the Till Plain and the northern Floodplains. Flocks sometimes gather in grain fields, where they feed on waste corn, milo, and sunflower seeds.
Documentation: Specimen—ad. male, near Cobden, Union Co., 3 Feb 1983 (SIU A-1876).
Western Meadowlark Sturnella neglecta
Early November - Mid-May
Status and abundance: Rare migrant and winter resident.
Habitat: Weedy fields, large grassy fields (including airports), and agricultural fields.
Records and remarks: If not for their distinctive song and call, most Western Meadowlarks would be identified as Eastern Meadowlarks because of their extreme similarity in field marks. Western Meadowlarks tend to be paler with less yellow on the underparts and more on the face, but there is substantial variation, so observers need to take care with identifications based on sight alone. Observers are encouraged to archive voice recordings and photos in eBird.
AUTUMN—Little is known about their fall movements, probably because most birds are silent during this season. Most Western Meadowlark records are from very late in fall, suggesting they are either overlooked earlier in fall or they are moving into our region during winter.
1, Carbondale, 8 Nov 1970 (VK)
WINTER—Sometimes Western Meadowlarks associate with flocks of Eastern Meadowlarks, so each bird in meadowlark flocks should be carefully identified. Vocal cues are important to hear.
2, Alexander Co., 21 Dec 1983 (RG, JE)
1, Mermet, 30 Dec 2007 (KMc)
6, Perry Co., 10 Jan 2010 (DK, MS)
5, Mermet, 28 Jan 1989 (WDR)
1, Crab Orchard NWR, 5 Feb 2012 (TH)
4, Kaskaskia Island, Randolph Co., 12 Feb 2005 (J. Eades)
SPRING—Singing and spring movements begin soon after the first warming spell of the year and extend well into May. Most birds, however, have departed by the end of March.
1, Carbondale, 28 Feb 1982 (SO)
1, East Cape Girardeau, 23-26 Apr 2008 (m.ob.)
1, Union Co., 3 May 2001 (KM, RR)
1, Baldwin Lake, 16 May 1981 (R. Korotev)
Documentation: Written description—3, Willard, Alexander Co., 21 Mar 1993 (TF).
Orchard Oriole Icterus spurius
Late April - Late August
Status and abundance: Fairly common migrant and summer resident.
Habitat: Deciduous woodland edge, old fields with fairly large scattered trees, large trees along streams, and hedgerows.
Records and remarks: Abundance of Orchard Orioles seems to be rather variable from year to year. Especially during spring migration, they can be very local but are nevertheless fairly common in good habitat most years. Males require two years to reach adult plumage. Immature males have plumages that are intermediate between adult males and adult females, although they tend to be more yellow-green overall, like the females.
SPRING—Small groups of migrant Orchard Orioles can be found in flowering trees, where they forage on nectar and insects. Soon after their arrival, these groups break up, and the birds form breeding territories. Daily high counts are usually less than 25.
1, Pomona, 12 Apr 2002 (RR)
1, Wamble Mountain, Saline Co., 14 Apr 1992 (TF, JD)
1, Crab Orchard NWR, 14 Apr 2017 (KM)
SUMMER—Frequently parasitized by cowbirds, Orchard Orioles build their hanging, cuplike nests out of green grasses. The nests turn brown as the grass dries out. Nests have been found from early May through late June.
AUTUMN—Fall migration begins very early, possibly in June. Numbers of Orchard Orioles decline conspicuously past 15 July. A few linger into August, but most birds depart much earlier. During late June and July, small groups of two to six orioles are sometimes encountered, especially in shrubby old field habitats.
2, East Cape Girardeau, 22 Aug 2016 (A. Gathman)
1 imm. or female, Rend Lake, Jefferson Co., 26 Aug 1994 (TF)
ad. male, near Cobden, Union Co., 23 Nov-16 Dec 1975 (T. Merriman)
Documentation: Specimen—ad. female, 2 miles n. of Cobden, Union Co., 7 May 1966 (SIU A-1380).
Bullock’s Oriole Icterus bullockii
Status and abundance: Very rare visitor.
Records and remarks: One was photographed east of Joppa, Massac Co., 21 Nov 2014 (J. Schwegman). Other reports: 2 males, Horseshoe Lake CA, 8 May 1965; and a female, Fort Kaskaskia SP, Randolph Co., 3 May 1986 (RG).
Documentation: Photograph—Joppa record.
Baltimore Oriole Icterus galbula
Mid-April – Early September
Status and abundance: Common migrant and summer resident. Very rare winter visitor.
Habitat: Bottomland deciduous woods, especially in tall cottonwoods and elms.
Records and remarks: Baltimore Oriole is a striking black-and-orange songster found in southern Illinois stream-side woodlands and parks.
SPRING—The distinctive song of this oriole alerts the observer to the first spring arrivals, which usually appear in mid-April. Numbers of migrants peak in late April and early May, but the large breeding population obscures the departure of migrants. Daily high counts of 20 to 40 are normal in excellent habitat given a full day of effort.
1, Saline Co., 10 Apr 1987 (K. Phelps)
1, Grassy Lake, Union Co., 14 Apr 1999 (KM)
1, Lake of Egypt, 14 Apr 2017 (J. Crews)
SUMMER—Orioles build hanging nests placed near the tips of long, thin, drooping branches, usually far away from the trunk of the tree. They are very rarely parasitized successfully by cowbirds, because they recognize and reject cowbird eggs from their nests. Active nests have been discovered from early May through early July. Sometimes orioles will come to feeders for sugar water or oranges.
AUTUMN—Fall migration begins very early. Groups of orioles appearing to be migrants are often encountered in late July and throughout August. Most orioles have departed by 10 September, though a few may linger later even into winter. Birds outside the normal time window of Baltimore Oriole migration should be scrutinized carefully to be sure they are not some other species of oriole. Photos should be archived in eBird.
1, Rend Lake, Jefferson Co., 7 Sep 1988 (TF)
WINTER—imm. male at feeder, Carbondale, winter 1972-1973 (VK)
Documentation: Specimen—ad. male, 4 miles s. of Carbondale, Jackson Co., 29 Apr 1975 (SIU A-2057).
Red-winged Blackbird Agelaius phoeniceus
Status and abundance: Common year-round resident.
Habitat: Marshes, weedy fields, roadsides, and agricultural lands.
Records and remarks: Truly one of the most abundant bird species in the region and even in all of North America, Red-winged Blackbirds form huge roosts from autumn through early spring that may number up to or even exceed a million birds. Many of these roosts are located in the marshes and woodlots on strip-mined land in the Till Plain, where some of the largest gatherings congregate in Phragmites marshes. After the first warm spell of the year, which is often in late January, male Red-winged Blackbirds begin to set up territories in marshes and along roadsides. Many of the roosts are still active at this time and may remain active until mid-April or so, when the last birds depart on migration. The first nests are built during late March, but the peak of nesting activity is in May and June. Surprisingly, very few Red-winged Blackbird nests are parasitized by cowbirds in southern Illinois, but they are sometimes heavily parasitized in other sections of their range. Flocks of juveniles begin forming by late July and August, and adults join soon thereafter. Red-winged Blackbirds associate with other blackbird species while foraging and at their roosts.
Documentation: Specimen—ad. male, Crab Orchard NWR, Williamson Co., 15 Feb 1956 (SIU A-278).
Brown-headed Cowbird Molothrus ater
Status and abundance: Common year-round resident.
Habitat: Agricultural lands, especially pastures. Forest, forest edge, and residential areas.
Records and remarks: Southern Illinois is a cowbird factory. Its highly fragmented landscape with a patchwork of small forest fragments surrounded by pastures and agricultural lands are the perfect setting for cowbirds. Cowbirds are obligate brood parasites. That is, they do not build their own nests nor do they care for their young. Instead, they deposit their egg in the nest of another bird similar in size and let that bird incubate the egg and raise the young cowbird. To make matters worse for the parasitized songbird, cowbirds often remove one or more of the host's eggs before laying their own egg into the host nest. In addition to losing some of their eggs because the cowbird has removed them, hosts also may lose their young because the cowbird egg hatches first and the cowbird nestling grows quickly by successfully competing against the host young for food from the unsuspecting parent songbirds. In some sections of the United States, cowbirds do not parasitize songbirds that breed inside forests, but southern Illinois forest birds are heavily parasitized.
Cowbirds are quite migratory, but there are some in the region all year. Spring movements begin in late January or early February and continue at least into early April. Fall migration seems to occur from September through November. Despite their negative impacts on songbird populations, cowbirds are protected by law, so it is illegal to kill them without a special permit. In some areas of the country where parasitism is a problem, cowbird extermination programs have been instituted. Those programs seem to work quite well.
WINTER—Cowbirds associate with other blackbird species at large roosts and when foraging for waste grain in agricultural fields. They can be rare to absent from some areas of the Shawnee Hills during winter.
Documentation: Specimen—male, Crab Orchard NWR, Williamson Co., 4 Feb 1959 (SIU A-647).
Rusty Blackbird Euphagus carolinus
Late October - Mid-April
Status and abundance: Fairly common migrant and winter resident.
Habitat: Agricultural fields, woodland edge, and bottomland forest.
Records and remarks: Although Rusty Blackbirds often associate with other blackbird species in fields and at roosts, they area also found foraging in small groups along the margins of wooded creeks or lakes where they flip over wet leaves to expose food items. Females have yellowish eyes, which helps separate them from the similar-looking dark-eyed female Brewer's Blackbird. Rusty Blackbirds also have a curved upper ridge to the bill, which can be seen at close range. Rusty Blackbird call sounds very much like the squeak of a rusty hinge. Observers should take care to county Rusty Blackbirds as precisely as possible and report those numbers and exact locations to eBird because there have been concerns about a serious population collapse over the last few decades.
AUTUMN—Most first fall arrivals are not detected until late October or even early November. Numbers remain fairly steady throughout the fall and winter
WINTER—It is not unusual to encounter pure flocks of up to one hundred Rusty Blackbirds on a regular basis.
SPRING—Northward migration probably begins as early as the first warm spell of the year, in late January or early February, and is well underway by late February. Numbers slowly dwindle throughout spring. Most birds have departed by early April.
500, Oakwood Bottoms, Jackson Co., 16 Feb 1975 (BP)
1,000, Jackson Co., 8 Apr 1996 (DK, KM)
1, near Renshaw, Pope Co., 25 Apr 1973 (VK, HDB)
Documentation: Specimen—male, 3 miles e. of Carbondale, in Williamson Co., 3 Dec 1958 (SIU A-665).
Brewer's Blackbird Euphagus cyanocephalus
Late October - Mid-April
Status and abundance: Uncommon migrant in the Floodplains. Rare migrant in the Shawnee Hills and the Till Plain. Occasional winter resident.
Habitat: Agricultural fields and pastures. Also forages on waste grain at livestock feedlots with other blackbirds, and sometimes comes to bird feeders.
Records and remarks: Although still uncommon in our region, numbers of Brewer’s Blackbirds have been steadily increasing over time. They are the least common of our regularly occurring black blackbirds (Common Grackle, Brown-headed Cowbird, and Rusty Blackbird being the others) and can pose identification challenges for some birders. It is always useful to archive photos in eBird.
AUTUMN—Populations seem to be lower in fall than in spring. The first fall arrivals may appear in late October or early November, but they may not occur in some years until late November or even later.
female, Carbondale, 28 Oct 1940 (SIU specimen)
2, Crab Orchard NWR, 5 Nov 2013 (J. Allen)
5, Carbondale, 15 Nov 2011 (TH)
WINTER—Some Brewer's Blackbirds winter in the region each year and are simply overlooked because they are mixed in with thousands of other blackbirds at roosts. When heavy snowfall covers the ground, Brewer's Blackbirds will sometimes come to feeders for cracked corn or millet. They are now detected nearly every year on southern Illinois Christmas Bird Counts, but in variable numbers from year to year.
male, Ozark, Johnson Co., 25 Dec 1990 (TF)
2, Alexander Co., 20 Jan 1992 (TF, JD, DK, C. Watkins)
SPRING—Northward migration may begin during February. Brewer's Blackbirds are reliably encountered in the agricultural land bordering the Big Muddy River and Mississippi
River levees in Jackson and Union Counties each spring.
4, Union Co., 15 Mar 1986 (TF, WDR)
100, Jackson Co., 16 Mar 1996 (DK, KM)
45, Union Co., 29 Mar 2001 (KM)
2, sw. Jackson Co., 4 Apr 1988 (WDR)
Documentation: Specimen—female, Carbondale, Jackson Co., 28 Oct 1940 (SIU A-66).
Common Grackle Quiscalus quiscula
Status and abudance: Common year-round resident.
Habitat: Agricultural lands, suburbs, parks, hedgerows, and marshes.
Records and remarks: A truly abundant bird that is difficult to miss on nearly any day of the year. Common Grackles form large flocks after breeding. They forage and roost together throughout the winter and well into spring. They even nest together, in conifers, forming loose colonies. Sometimes a half dozen or more pairs will nest in a single tree. They are rarely parasitized by cowbirds. When a cowbird does slip in an egg, the egg is quickly removed by the adult grackles. Nests have been found from April through June. Grackles frequently associate with other blackbirds, especially Red-winged Blackbirds. Grackles are quite migratory, but their year-round abundance and wide-ranging daily movements make delineation of migration periods difficult. Northward movements seem to begin in February and extend well into March. Timing of fall migration is even more difficult to detect, because so many grackles are associated with large roosts at that time. Roosting birds radiate out into the surrounding lands to forage during the day, then return at dusk to roost. Daily high counts can approach a million birds when one is near their communal roosts. Counting such high numbers is nearly impossible to do accurately. Yet, with HD video, one could record birds leaving roosts and generate reliable count data.
Documentation: Specimen—ad. male, Crab Orchard NWR, Williamson Co., 26 Nov 1957 (SIU A-288).
Great-tailed Grackle Quiscalus mexicanus
Status and abundance: Very rare visitor.
Records and remarks: Three or four records. Great-tailed Grackles are expanding their range northward through the Great Plains so additional records in the future may be expected. Observers are encouraged to archive photos in eBird. One was at a feeder in the St. Clair County section of Baldwin Lake during the 1990s (fide DK).
female, north of Cutler, Perry Co., 23 Feb 1994 (TF, CS).
1, Pyramid SP, 25 Dec 2004 (KMc)
female, Coulterville, Randolph Co., 30 Dec 2009 (G. Neise, m.ob.)
Documentation: Written description—1994 record.