I have written about Brewer’s Blackbirds in previous posts in this blog. This species was collected in Montana in 1843 by Audubon. He named it Quiscalus breweri. Brewer, was a friend, a Boston doctor and ornithologist. Unfortunately, the species had already been described in 1829 by Johannes Wagler. Thus Wagler’s scientific name, Psarocolius cyanocephalus, has priority. Now the bird is known as Brewer’s Blackbird, Euphagus cyanocephalus (Martin 2002). Generic names can shift around, but their accompanying species names tend to be fixed.
Erika and I found several Brewer’s Blackbirds on 26 August 2019 in Westport, Washington. In most of the western United States, this species is fairly common. We were surprised when eBird flagged it as infrequently reported from the Westport area, and so we made an effort to document our sighting with a photograph.
Erika and I found several Brewer’s Blackbirds on 26 August 2019 in Westport, Washington. In most of the western United States, this species is fairly common. We were surprised when eBird flagged it as infrequently reported from the Westport area, and so we made an effort to document our sighting with a photograph.
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