Distinctive but understated, this wholly glossy blackbird with a rather long, sharply pointed bill occurs in a wide range of mainly open habitats, from town parks and farmland with hedges and bushes to mattorral scrub and open forest. Feeds on the ground, at flowers, and in trees on fruit, often in small flocks. Voice is highly varied, sometimes loud, and can draw attention. Fairly common in central Chile, becoming uncommon farther south and in Argentina. Compare with cowbirds, which are smaller with shorter bills.