The Australian Pelican has been recorded as having the longest bill of any living bird. They can appear together in noisy flocks and currently have a strong presence in Texas and Louisiana, and their range is expanding slowly north. The largest black bird on our list of The Ultimate Guide to Black Birds is the Common Raven. ", We spend 90% of net income on conservation, public education and advocacy, The RSPB is a member of BirdLife International. The Black Skimmer is a species of seabirds similar to gulls. It’s also slightly larger than the Long-Billed Curlew. Black-colored--or at least mostly black-colored--birds in the yard tend to be one of these: European Starling, Common Grackle, Red-winged Blackbird, and Brown-headed Cowbird. While these birds are more common in other parts of the world, we have a few here in North America that are just as striking and interesting as their exotic cousins. It can be hard to distinguish the Common Raven from the American Crow. Oystercatchers are the only beach bird you will see that can open them just by using their strong bills. Scientific name: Ensifera ensifera Length: 5.5 inches Beak Length: 4 inches. Scientific name: Hydroprogne caspia Length: 18.5 – 21.3 in Weight: 18.7 – 27.6 oz Wingspan: 49.6 – 50.4 in. 19 Birds With Big Beaks (Pictures and Info), The 7 Types of Woodpeckers in Iowa - Pictures and Info, 6 Species of Hawks in North Carolina (Pictures and Info), Parrots in Florida (17 Species With Pictures). Birding! If you click a link on our site then make a purchase we may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. One of the most stunningly unique waterfowl, wood ducks are the only North American duck to lay two sets of eggs per year. Scientific name: Rynchops niger Length: 15.3 -18.1 in Weight: 7.2 – 13.1 oz Wingspan: 36.2 – 47.2 in. Unfortunately their numbers are declining in the U.S. and they are becoming a species of conservation concern. They can be quite noisy, but are also described as more “musical” sounding than other ducks with higher pitched whistling and squeaking than the gruff “quack!” of a mallard. The female chooses the nest location, the material to use, and is in charge of raising the chicks as well. They also have a large casque, which is a hollow structure located on top of the bill used by males to fight with other males and attract females. They’re primarily fruit eaters throughout South and Central America, but will occasionally eat insects, reptiles, other birds, and eggs to supplement their diet. Scientific name: Haematopus bachmani Length: 16.5-18.5 in  Weight: 17.6 – 24.7 oz. They were the size(not shape) of a female wild turkey. But they do have a permanent presence in North American and are worth mentioning. All you need is a few striking, visual differences to differentiate. It mainly eats fish, but will also consume smaller birds and scavenge for scraps to supplement their diet. Foraging White Storks visually search for food while walking with their bill pointed at the ground. The mostly dark gray body of the common gallinule (formerly called the common moorhen) only makes its bright red forehead and beak stand out even more. These beautifully colored hummingbirds are considered small, even for hummingbirds! In North America you can find them along the southern most shores, while during breeding season they are found in Canada and the U.S. only in small pockets . The upper bill is significantly shorter than the lower, and its name is a clue to the reason why. Maybe you can help me identify a large mostly black bird. From a distance, Common Grackles look completely black, but actually have glossy blue-purple heads, bronze bodies, and unmistakable yellow eyes. There are many birds that can be found across the world, but there is something very alluring about black birds. People who share the blackbird as a totem are said to be highly authoritative and critical thinkers. The Dalmatian Pelican is the largest of the pelican species and is among the largest birds still alive today. Cormorant seen at Aldeburgh, Suffolk. Science & Nature Activities for Cooped Up Kids. If you live in this area, you can attract them to your yard with nectar feeders and native flowers such as honeysuckle and agave. The Sword-Billed Hummingbird is one of the largest species of hummingbird and boasts the largest ratio of body to beak size of any bird. They have a wide-ranged omnivorous diet consisting of insects, bird chicks, frogs, chameleons, ants, and termites. The Southern Yellow-Billed Horntail has been made famous by the movie The Lion King – the main bird character Zazu is a Yellow-Billed Horntail. They nest on cliffs and forage for insects. It relies entirely on rainfall evens in inland Australia and can have gaps of many years in between attempts to breed. Their beaks are vibrant, yellow in the summer and turn drab gray in the winter. When thinking habitat, consider both your geographic location as well as your immediate surroundings. They will also eat grain and seeds if necessary. It measures between 8 and 9 inches in length and weighs between 2 and 3.6 ounces. They have a distinctive salt gland that lies atop their thick hooked bill that acts as a way to excrete excess salt. Adult females are slightly smaller and less glossy. Scientific name: Eudocimus albus Length: 22.1-26.8 in  Weight: 26.5 – 37.0 oz Wingspan: 35 to 41 inches. The American Crow, Latin name Pica hudsonia, live across most of the continental United States. They are typically found in eastern Mexico, but do regularly enter the U.S in southern Texas along the gulf of mexico. This is also true of ravens. There are two birds with a black body and a yellow beak: the common blackbird and the European starling. Scientific name: Pelecanus erythrorhynchos Length: 4.2-5.4 feet Beak Length: 10-14 inches. Call on a couple of students from each corner to explain their choice. Melanie has been a birding hobbyist for years and loves feeding and photographing birds of all types. Article header image: Image: Becky Matsubara | CC BY 2.0 | flickr. Crows are very social birds: if you see a massive flock of large black birds, you’re probably looking at a murder of crows. Ravens tend to be solitary or in pairs. It features stunning silvery-white plumage during the season, and then fades to a less shiny white or gray the rest of the year. The largest black bird on our list of The Ultimate Guide to Black Birds is the Common Raven. Scientific name: Numenius americanus Length: 20-26 inches Beak Length: 4.4-8.6 inches. Skimmers are the only species in the entire world who fish in this manner, and because they can find their prey by feel, they can even feed at night. They measure up to 9 inches in length and weigh just over 2 ounces. They’ve been known to cooperate with one another to herd fish into the shallows to make for easy feeding and can be found on inland lakes in the summer and near the coastlines in the winter. A stocky and striking shorebird of eastern North America, the American Oystercatcher has a long, thick bright red bill. They’ve also been known to habituate flooded areas following heavy rain and any other area of water that can support a sufficient supply of food for them to scoop up with their bill. Caspian terns look very similar to common terns, the main differences being their tail is less forked, their beakers are thicker with a deep coral red color, and they are much larger.