Blackbird, common name for many passerine birds of a family native to the Americas. Although many of the more than 200 species are brightly colored, especially the orioles, others are predominantly black. The red-winged blackbird is one of the most abundant birds of North America, ranging from Alaska to Central America. It shares western marshes with the yellow-headed blackbird. Other North American members of the family include grackles, meadowlarks, cowbirds, and the bobolink, and there are many additional species in South America. The common blackbird of Eurasia, of nursery rhyme fame, is not related to American blackbirds; it is a thrush, related to the American robin.