15 Black Birds In South Carolina
South Carolina is home to many birds that appear black, from familiar backyard crows to glossy grackles found near coastal marshes. Some stay in the state throughout the year, while others appear only during migration or winter.
The original list included several western birds that are extremely rare in South Carolina, including Scott’s Oriole, Bullock’s Oriole, and Western Meadowlark. This updated guide focuses on birds residents and visitors have a realistic chance of seeing.
1. American Crow
American Crows are among the most familiar large black birds in South Carolina. They are black from bill to tail, with broad wings, a moderately heavy bill, and a square or slightly rounded tail.
Their loud, clear “caw-caw” is often the easiest way to identify them. American Crows are intelligent and social. You may see a single bird, a family group, or a large winter gathering.
Size: 16–21 inches long
Wingspan: 33–40 inches
Where to look: Farms, neighborhoods, woodland edges, parks, roadsides
When to see: All year
They eat insects, fruit, seeds, carrion, eggs, and discarded human food. Crows may visit large platform feeders, but keeping natural food sources such as oak trees is a better way to support them.
2. Common Raven
Common Ravens are uncommon and locally distributed in South Carolina. Your best chance of seeing one is in the Blue Ridge region of the state’s northwestern corner.
A raven is larger and heavier than a crow. It has a thick bill, shaggy throat feathers, and a wedge-shaped tail that is easiest to see in flight. Ravens also soar more often than crows.
Size: 22–27 inches long
Wingspan: 45–46 inches
Where to look: Mountain forests, cliffs, ridges, remote roads
When to see: All year in suitable northwestern habitat
Listen for a deep, rough croak rather than the clearer caw of an American Crow. Ravens may perform rolls, dives, and other acrobatic movements while flying.
3. Black Vulture
Black Vultures are heavy, compact birds with bare gray-black heads and short tails. In flight, they hold their broad wings nearly flat and use several quick wingbeats followed by a short glide.
Watch for the large white patches near the tips of their wings. Those patches separate them from Turkey Vultures when the birds are overhead.
Size: 23–27 inches long
Wingspan: 53–60 inches
Where to look: Roadsides, farms, landfills, fields, towns
When to see: All year
Black Vultures locate much of their food by watching other vultures. They often gather in groups around roadkill or roost together in trees and on communication towers.
4. Turkey Vulture
Turkey Vultures look mostly black at a distance, although their flight feathers appear silvery underneath. Adults have bare red heads, while young birds have darker heads.
They fly with their wings raised in a shallow V and often rock from side to side. Long periods of soaring with few wingbeats are typical.
Size: 25–32 inches long
Wingspan: 66–72 inches
Where to look: Open country, highways, farmland, forests
When to see: All year
Unlike Black Vultures, Turkey Vultures have a strong sense of smell that helps them locate carrion. Their longer tail and two-toned underwings are useful identification marks.
5. Brown headed Cowbird
Male Brown-headed Cowbirds have glossy black bodies and rich brown heads. Females are plain gray-brown without strong streaking or wing markings.
Cowbirds do not build nests of their own. A female places her eggs in the nests of other songbirds, leaving the host parents to raise the young. This behavior is called brood parasitism.
Size: 6.3–8.7 inches long
Wingspan: 14.2 inches
Where to look: Pastures, farms, woodland edges, lawns, feeders
When to see: All year
Their thick, short bills are suited to eating seeds. Brown-headed Cowbirds may join blackbirds, grackles, and starlings in mixed feeding flocks.
6. Red-winged Blackbird
The adult male Red-winged Blackbird is black with red shoulder patches bordered in yellow. The patches may be fully exposed during territorial displays or mostly hidden when the bird is resting.
Females are heavily streaked brown and can be mistaken for large sparrows. Their pointed bills and marsh habitat help with identification.
Size: 6.7–9.1 inches long
Wingspan: 12.2–15.8 inches
Where to look: Marshes, wet fields, roadside ditches, pastures
When to see: All year
Males often sing from cattails, fence posts, and utility wires. Their familiar call is commonly described as “conk-la-ree.”
Red-winged Blackbirds can become defensive near a nest. If one repeatedly flies close to your head, move away from that section of the marsh or trail.
7. Boat-tailed Grackle
The Boat-tailed Grackle is a notable bird species found mainly along the Gulf Coast and in Boat-tailed Grackles are common black birds along the South Carolina coast. Adult males have glossy dark plumage, pale yellow eyes, long legs, and an extremely long tail that they often hold in a V shape.
Females look very different. They are smaller and mostly warm brown, with darker wings and tails.
Size: 10.2–14.6 inches long
Wingspan: 15.3–19.7 inches
Where to look: Salt marshes, beaches, coastal parks, boat ramps
When to see: All year along the coast
Boat-tailed Grackles are larger and longer-tailed than Common Grackles. They are often bold around waterfront restaurants, parking areas, and public beaches.
8. European Starling
European Starlings are compact dark birds with pointed wings, short tails, and long pointed bills. Their appearance changes with the season.
In winter, they are covered with pale spots. By spring, much of the spotting has worn away, leaving glossy purple and green plumage. Their bills also change from dark in winter to yellow during the breeding season.
Size: 7.9–9.1 inches long
Wingspan: 12.2–15.8 inches
Where to look: Towns, farms, lawns, shopping centers, parking lots
When to see: All year
Starlings are strong mimics and produce whistles, clicks, rattles, and copied sounds. In flight, their pointed wings and short tails create a triangular shape.
This nonnative species competes with native cavity-nesting birds, so it should not be encouraged with nest boxes.
9. Anhinga
Anhingas are large, dark waterbirds with very long necks, long tails, and thin, sharply pointed bills. Adult males are mostly black with silver markings on their wings and backs. Females have pale brown necks and upper chests.
When swimming, an Anhinga’s body may stay below the surface while its narrow head and neck remain visible. This creates the snake-like appearance behind its nickname, “snakebird.”
Size: About 35 inches long
Wingspan: Approximately 43 inches
Where to look: Lakes, rivers, swamps, wooded ponds
When to see: All year, especially in the Coastal Plain
Anhingas spear fish with their pointed bills. After swimming, they regularly sit on branches with their wings spread to dry.
10. Double crested Cormorant
Double-crested Cormorants are heavy, dark waterbirds with long necks and hooked bills. Adults are mostly black with orange skin around the base of the bill. Young birds may have pale brown or whitish chests.
They often swim low in the water before diving to catch fish. Like Anhingas, they may perch with their wings spread.
Size: 27.6–35.4 inches long
Wingspan: 44.9–48.4 inches
Where to look: Reservoirs, lakes, rivers, estuaries, coast
When to see: Most numerous from fall through spring
The bill provides the quickest way to separate these birds. A cormorant has a thicker, hooked bill, while an Anhinga has a straight, pointed bill. Cormorants also have shorter tails and heavier bodies.
11. Purple Martin
Adult male Purple Martins have glossy blue-black plumage that may look purple in direct sunlight. Females and young birds are duller, with gray chests and bellies.
These large swallows have long, tapered wings and slightly forked tails. They catch flying insects high above open land and water.
Size: 7.5–7.9 inches long
Wingspan: 15.3–16.1 inches
Where to look: Open neighborhoods, farms, lakeshores, martin houses
When to see: Spring through late summer
In much of the eastern United States, Purple Martins depend heavily on human-supplied nesting houses. A successful martin house needs an open location, correct entrance sizes, regular monitoring, and protection from invasive House Sparrows and European Starlings.
12. Chimney Swift
Chimney Swifts are small, sooty-gray birds that spend most of the day flying. Their narrow, curved wings and short bodies create a shape sometimes compared to a “cigar with wings.”
Their flight combines rapid, stiff wingbeats with brief glides. Groups often circle above chimneys while making fast, chattering calls.
Size: 4.7–5.9 inches long
Wingspan: 10.6–11.8 inches
Where to look: Towns, cities, older neighborhoods
When to see: Spring through early fall
Chimney Swifts cannot perch upright on a normal branch. Instead, they cling to the inside walls of chimneys and other vertical structures. They catch flying insects and do not visit seed feeders.
13. Rusty Blackbird
Rusty Blackbirds are mainly winter visitors and migrants in South Carolina. Adult males become nearly solid black during the breeding season, but winter birds have rusty-brown feather edges. Females are grayer and show similar rusty coloring.
Both sexes have pale yellow eyes. Their slender bills are thinner than the bills of grackles and cowbirds.
Size: 8.3–9.8 inches long
Wingspan: 14.6 inches
Where to look: Wooded swamps, wet forest floors, pond edges
When to see: Mostly fall through early spring
Rusty Blackbirds often walk through shallow water or turn over wet leaves while searching for insects and seeds. They have suffered a steep long-term population decline, so a South Carolina sighting is worth recording.
Related article: Exploring South Carolina Falcons: Photos,Call
14. Bobolink
Breeding male Bobolinks have one of the strangest color patterns among North American songbirds. They are mostly black underneath, with white backs and pale cream-colored napes. The pattern can appear almost backward compared with many other birds.
Females, immature birds, and fall males are buffy brown with dark streaking. This means most Bobolinks seen during fall migration will not appear black.
Size: 5.9–8.3 inches long
Wingspan: 10.6 inches
Where to look: Hayfields, pastures, grasslands, agricultural fields
When to see: Mainly during spring and fall migration
Bobolinks travel between North American breeding grounds and southern South America. Listen for their bubbly, mechanical-sounding song during spring migration.
15. Common Grackle
Common Grackles often look plain black from a distance. In good light, adult males have glossy purple heads and bronze or green reflections across their bodies. Their bright yellow eyes are hard to miss.
These birds are larger and longer-tailed than Red-winged Blackbirds. They usually walk across lawns instead of hopping.
Size: 11–13.4 inches long
Wingspan: 14.2–18.1 inches
Where to look: Lawns, agricultural fields, parks, marshes, parking lots
When to see: All year
Common Grackles eat insects, grain, seeds, fruit, small aquatic animals, and discarded food. Large flocks may visit feeders, where they can quickly empty trays of sunflower seed or cracked corn.
Where to Find Black Birds in South Carolina
Coastal Marshes
The coast is the best place to find Boat-tailed Grackles, Fish Crows, Anhingas, cormorants, and Red-winged Blackbirds. Check marsh edges, boat ramps, causeways, beaches, and waterfront parks.
Farms and Open Fields
Agricultural areas attract Common Grackles, Brown-headed Cowbirds, American Crows, starlings, and Red-winged Blackbirds. Bobolinks may appear in grassy fields during migration.
Lakes and Swamps
Anhingas and Double-crested Cormorants are the most noticeable dark waterbirds. Wooded wetlands can also hold Rusty Blackbirds during the cooler months.
Towns and Neighborhoods
American Crows, Fish Crows, European Starlings, Common Grackles, and Black Vultures have adjusted well to developed areas. During summer, watch above rooftops for Purple Martins and Chimney Swifts.
Northwestern Mountains
The northwestern corner of South Carolina provides the state’s best chance of finding a Common Raven. Look and listen around forested ridges and mountain roads.
How to Attract Black Birds Safely
Not every bird in this guide should be attracted to a backyard. Vultures, ravens, Bobolinks, Anhingas, and cormorants have habitat needs that ordinary feeders cannot meet.
For common backyard species:
- Offer black-oil sunflower seed in a sturdy feeder.
- Add a ground-level birdbath with fresh water.
- Plant native berry-producing shrubs.
- Leave some leaf litter for insect-eating birds.
- Clean feeders regularly.
- Keep cats indoors.
- Avoid pesticides near feeding areas.
- Use feeders that can handle larger birds if you want grackles and crows.
Do not scatter large amounts of grain on the ground. Wet seed can spoil, and leftover food may attract rodents.
Black Birds That Are Rare in South Carolina
South Carolina’s official bird list contains species that have been documented in the state but are not normal, dependable sightings. This distinction matters when building a local identification guide.
Birds such as Brewer’s Blackbird, Yellow-headed Blackbird, Western Meadowlark, Bullock’s Oriole, and Shiny Cowbird may occasionally be reported, but most residents will not encounter them during ordinary backyard birdwatching.
Scott’s Oriole is a bird of the southwestern United States and should not be presented as a regular South Carolina species.
FAQs
What is the most common black bird in South Carolina?
American Crows, Common Grackles, European Starlings, and Red-winged Blackbirds are among the most widespread. The exact answer depends on the habitat and season.
What are the large black birds in South Carolina?
The largest likely choices are Turkey Vultures, Black Vultures, Common Ravens, American Crows, Anhingas, and Double-crested Cormorants. Location and flight style can help narrow the identification.
What black bird has yellow eyes in South Carolina?
Common Grackles and male Boat-tailed Grackles have pale yellow eyes. Rusty Blackbirds also have pale eyes but are smaller and mainly appear during the cooler months.
What black bird has red wings?
A male Red-winged Blackbird has red shoulder patches bordered with yellow. The red may be hard to see when the bird folds its wings.
What is the black bird with a long tail on the South Carolina coast?
It is probably a male Boat-tailed Grackle. These glossy birds have extremely long tails and are common around salt marshes, beaches, waterfront parks, and coastal parking lots.
Are ravens found in South Carolina?
Yes, but their distribution is limited. Common Ravens are most likely in the mountainous northwestern corner of South Carolina. A large black bird elsewhere in the state is more likely an American Crow.
How can I tell a Fish Crow from an American Crow?
Listen to the call. An American Crow gives a strong, clear caw. A Fish Crow makes a shorter, nasal “uh-uh” or “nyuh” call. Fish Crows are also slightly smaller and are common near water.
Are grackles and crows the same bird?
No. Grackles belong to the blackbird family, while crows belong to the corvid family. Crows are larger, have heavier bills, and lack the bright yellow eyes seen on adult Common Grackles.
What black birds gather in large flocks?
European Starlings, Common Grackles, Red-winged Blackbirds, Brown-headed Cowbirds, and Rusty Blackbirds can gather in mixed flocks. Large winter roosts may contain thousands of birds.
Are all black birds male?
No. In several species, males are much darker than females. Female Red-winged Blackbirds and Boat-tailed Grackles are brown, while males are primarily black. Both male and female crows are black and look alike.
