The Chopi Blackbird has a very loud and melodious song. They are very conspicuous and form small, noisy flocks in savanna and agricultural areas and are often seen around buildings.
Because of their prowess at singing they are sometimes captured as cage birds and this might explain their relative scarcity around large urban centres.
They feed on seeds, grain and insects and it is in search of either seed or grain that they can often be seen examining cattle excrement which gives them the local name in some parts of Brazil of "vira-bosta" or "turd-turner".
There are illustrations in Ridgely & Tudor, Volume 1, Plate 22; and Sick, Page 629.
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