Black Bird - Name given in North America to a perching bird allied to the bobolink , the meadow lark, the oriole , and the grackle . The European black bird is a thrush. The red-winged blackbird of East North America is a familiar sight, its scarlet shoulder patches conspicuous among the tall grasses of the marshes and wet meadows where it nests . It eats grain, insects, and wheat seeds. Except during the breeding season black birds usually travel in flocks. The yellow headed, tricolored red-winged , and Brewer's blackbirds are found in the West . The rusty blackbird , glossy blue black in summer changes to a browner colour in winter .