Sighting Record for Utah

Common name:	Rusty Blackbird
Scientific name:	Euphagus carolinus
Date:	October 25, 2026
Time:	3:00 PM
Length of time observed:	10 minutes
Number:	1
Age:	undetermined
Sex:	Male?
Location:	Powell Slough
County:	Utah
Latilong:	Salt Lake City-Provo
Elevation:	4488
Distance to bird:	5 to 10 yards
Optical equipment:	8 x 43 Zen Ray binoculars and 10 X Vortex Binoculars
Weather:	sunny
Light Conditions:	backlit initially and then repositioned to be lit properly.
Description: Size of bird:	size of a blackbird
(Description:) Basic Shape:	blackbird shaped
(Description:) Overall Pattern:	browns, blacks, rust.
(Description:) Bill Type:	blackbird bill
(Description:) Field Marks and Identifying Characteristics:	We were walking in a group of Bulrushes when I saw a couple blackbirds on the ground. I put my binoculars on it and immediately saw the bold eyebrow, clear iris, and black area around the eye with a rusty upper back that immediately struck me as a Rusty Blackbird. I stayed put and watched it as Clarissa repositioned herself to take photos of the bird in better lighting. I noticed the breast was tan/brownish that transitioned to some black mottling and then more of a black belly and undertail coverts with some tanish mottling. The upper back was clearing rusting and when light hit it, would reveal some slight black mottling. We went home to look at photos to make sure that we were dealing with a Rusty and not a Brewer's Blackbird. The photos helped us see the lighter rusty like edging on the primaries, secondaries, and tertials, a smaller more slender bill than the Brewer's it was walking by for a bit. Photos also revealed black legs which I did not note in the field (see photos)
Song or call & method of delivery:	none heard
Behavior:	walking around bulrushes feeding and flew up into nearby trees. It was loosely associating with Brewers Blackbirds
Habitat:	marsh
Similar species and how were they eliminated:	Brewer's Blackbird- Female Brewer's Blackbirds do not usually have a clear iris and rusty tones on back and bold eyebrow. Male Brewer's Blackbirds would not show the pale edging on the tertial feathers, have a bold eyebrow with dark feathering near eyes, rusty upper back, and the bill of our bird was noticeably smaller than nearby Brewer's Blackbird that we photographed together. Red-winged Blackbird- The clear iris eliminates the Red-winged blackbirds that gets the rusty feathers and edging.
Previous experience with this & similar species:	I've seen multiple Rusty Blackbirds in their winter plumage prior, including earlier this year in January.
References consulted:	Sibley, Macuaulay Library
Description from:	Notes taken at the time of the sighting From photo(s) taken at the time of the sighting
Observer:	KC Childs
Observer's address:	Orem, UT
Observer's e-mail address:	**
Other observers who independently identified this bird:	Clarissa Chipman
Date prepared:	October 27, 2026
Additional material:	Photos
Additional comments:	I will email separately photos that Clarissa Chipman snapped.