Birds Active during the day

Chopí Blackbird

Gnorimopsar chopi

iNaturalist Wikipedia

With its soulful whistles and shimmering jet-black plumage, the Chopí Blackbird is the musical heart of the South American savanna. A master mimic and social resident, this intelligent songbird is a frequent visitor to backyard gardens and open woodlands alike.

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Quick Identification

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Size

Length 23-25 cm (9-10 inches); weight 60-90 g (2.1-3.2 oz)

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Colors

Entirely coal-black plumage with a silky bluish gloss; black bill, legs, and eyes

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Key Features

Uniform glossy black plumage
Stout black bill with a distinct groove on the lower mandible
Squared-off tail tip
Melodious, loud whistling song
Often seen in small, noisy groups

When You’ll See Them

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Activity pattern Active during the day

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Peak hours 6-10 AM, 4-6 PM

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Season Year-round

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Diet Omnivorous and opportunistic; they forage for insects and spiders on the ground but also consume fruit, seeds, and occasionally nectar.

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Habitat Open savannas, pastures, forest edges, suburban gardens, and agricultural lands.

public Geographic range

Where Does the Chopí Blackbird Live?

The Chopí Blackbird is a quintessential South American resident, found across a vast territory in the continent's interior and eastern regions. Its heartland spans the lush Cerrado and Atlantic Forest regions of Brazil, extending southward through the humid Chaco of Paraguay and northern Argentina, and into the rolling grasslands of Uruguay. It also occupies the eastern Andean foothills of Bolivia and parts of southeastern Peru, where it thrives in open landscapes.

Basemap © OpenStreetMap contributors

6 Countries

5.2M km² Range

Least Concern Conservation

BR Brazil AR Argentina PY Paraguay BO Bolivia UY Uruguay PE Peru

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iNaturalist / Verified observation data

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Behavior

The Chopí Blackbird is one of South America's most charismatic vocalists, celebrated for a complex song that includes loud whistles, flute-like notes, and metallic trills. They are highly social birds, often seen in small flocks or pairs, moving through open woodlands and agricultural fields with a distinctive, jerky hopping motion. Unlike many of their relatives in the Icterid family, they are quite comfortable around human settlements and frequently visit suburban gardens and urban parks.

These birds are remarkably intelligent and are renowned for their mimicry, often incorporating the calls of other bird species or even ambient mechanical noises into their singing. During the breeding season, they are versatile cavity nesters, utilizing hollow tree trunks, old woodpecker holes, or even the abandoned mud nests of Rufous Horneros. They are bold and territorial, often seen chasing away larger birds or predators from their nesting sites.

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Camera Tips

To capture the shimmering beauty of the Chopí Blackbird, place your AI camera near a bird bath or a low-lying water feature. These birds are frequent and enthusiastic bathers, and they are most likely to pause for a clear, focused photo when they are drinking or preening. Position the camera at a height of 1 to 2 feet, angled slightly upward if the water source is on a pedestal, to capture the iridescent blue sheen of their feathers against the sunlight.

Feeding stations are also highly effective for this species. Offer a mix of chopped fruit like papaya or bananas, or provide a ground-level platform with sunflower seeds and cracked corn. Because the bird is entirely black, lighting is your biggest challenge; try to orient your camera so the morning sun illuminates the bird from the front. This prevents the bird from appearing as a mere silhouette and allows the camera's sensor to pick up eye detail and bill texture.

For the best results, use a high-sensitivity motion trigger. Chopí Blackbirds are active and move with quick, sudden hops that can result in motion blur on slower cameras. Capturing them during the early morning (6 AM to 9 AM) is ideal, as this is their peak social time when they are most likely to congregate in groups. If your camera supports video with sound, you'll be able to record their spectacular whistling songs, which are a highlight of any backyard wildlife collection.

Similar Species

Species that look similar or are commonly confused with Chopí Blackbird.

Shiny Cowbird

Smaller with a thinner, shorter bill and a more purple-tinted iridescence compared to the Chopí's blue gloss.

Austral Blackbird

Found further south in Patagonia and Chile; it lacks the distinct mandible groove of the Chopí.

Screaming Cowbird

Very similar in color but has a shorter, more conical finch-like bill and lacks the Chopí's melodious whistling song.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Chopí Blackbirds are strictly diurnal, meaning they are active during the day. You will find them most active and vocal during the early morning hours just after sunrise and again in the late afternoon before dusk.

You can attract them by providing a consistent water source like a bird bath and offering food such as chopped fruits (papaya, banana) or seeds on a platform feeder. They prefer open spaces, so keep a patch of lawn or low vegetation available for foraging.

They are omnivores with a varied diet. In the wild, they eat insects, larvae, and spiders found in the grass, but they also supplement their diet with wild fruits, seeds, and even nectar from certain flowers.

Yes, they are highly adaptable birds and are very common in suburban environments across South America. They often frequent parks, gardens, and farms where they have learned to live alongside humans.

While both are black, the Chopí Blackbird is larger and has a much stouter bill with a unique groove on the lower mandible. Additionally, the Chopí has a squared tail, whereas the Shiny Cowbird is smaller with a more slender bill and a rounded tail.

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