The family Icteridae comprises a diverse group of passerine birds commonly known as New World blackbirds, orioles, grackles, cowbirds, and meadowlarks, primarily found throughout the Americas. Members of this family are generally medium-sized with strong, pointed bills, and many exhibit striking plumage patterns, often with black combined with bright yellows, oranges, or reds. Icterids are highly adaptable in diet and habitat, feeding on insects, seeds, and fruit, and they occupy environments ranging from grasslands and forests to urban areas. Many species are social and vocal, with complex songs and calls, while some, like cowbirds, are notable for their brood parasitism, laying eggs in the nests of other birds. This family plays important ecological roles in insect control and seed dispersal and is a prominent group in avian behavioral and evolutionary studies.