Rusty Blackbird
Euphagus carolinus
The Rusty Blackbird is declining at the fastest rate of any bird in North America. In addition to habitat loss (wetland infilling, loss of beaver-dam habitats, forest loss in the south, climate change, and pesticides), the population has been subject to blackbird reduction programs on its wintering grounds. The Rusty Blackbird also faces industrial poisoning of wetlands by methylmercury, from mercury produced by the burning of fossil fuels like coal. Mercury accumulates in bogs and other wetlands, and travels through the food web, from plants to insects, and to spiders that Rusty Blackbirds consume. The Rusty Blackbird was designated Special Concern in Canada in 2006, and in 2017, its status was reconfirmed. It is not protected under the Canadian Migratory Birds Convention Act and thus Provinces are responsible for its survival.