Family Icteridae: The Icterids

Icterid Species Brown-headed Cowbird Great-tailed Grackle Meadowlark Brewer's Blackbird Yellow-headed Blackbird Red-winged Blackbird Bullock's Oriole Hooded Oriole

Icterids is the common name given to members of the family Icteridae

Most of the species are neotropical migrants. They winter in the warmer latitudes around the equator and move either north or south (depending on which side of the equator they traditionally call home) to cooler latitudes for the summer breeding season.

There are approximately one hundred different species of Icterids, twenty of them common in the United States. Most people know them by their generic names: blackbirds, grackles, cowbirds, meadowlarks and orioles. The Bobolink is the only species in its genus.

Common family traits are superficial, at best. They are very adaptable birds, living in most human populated areas that provide adequate food, water and shelter. Their diets are varied consisting of insects, seeds and fruit, and it is relatively easy to attract them to back yard feeders.

Species differ in habitat preference and breeding behavior. Orioles, for example, generally prefer forest habitats, while blackbirds generally prefer wetlands and marsh habitats. The links in the Icterid Species box point to articles that describe specific species in more detail.

The Types of Birds home page offers information about additional bird families and species.