Common Grackle
Quiscalus quiscula
Lanky, fierce-looking, glossy blackbird. A bit larger than a jay; smaller, proportionally longer-tailed and shorter-winged than a crow. Staring yellow eye and long heavy bill (compared to Red-winged Blackbird). Often in flocks with other blackbirds in winter. Forages in fields, scrubby areas, and open woods. Visits feeders.
Identification
Adult common grackles measure from 28 to 34 cm (11 to 13 in) in length, span 36–46 cm (14–18 in) across the wings, and weigh 74–142 g (2.6–5.0 oz). Common grackles are less sexually dimorphic than larger grackle species, but the differences between the sexes can still be noticeable. The male, which averages 122 g (4.3 oz), is larger than the female, at an average of 94 g (3.3 oz). Adults have a long, dark bill, pale yellowish eyes, and a long tail; their feathers appear black with purple, green, or blue iridescence on the head, and primarily bronze sheen in the body plumage. Adult females, beyond being smaller, are usually less iridescent; their tails in particular are shorter, and unlike the males, do not keel (display a longitudinal ridge) in flight and are brown with no purple or blue gloss. Juveniles are brown with dark brown eyes.<p>When grackles are in a group, they are referred to as a "plague".
Taxonomy
The common grackle was first described in 1758 by Carl Linnaeus in the tenth edition of Systema Naturae, as Gracula quiscula. It was assigned to the genus Quiscalus by French ornithologist Louis Pierre Vieillot in his 1816 Dictionnaire d'histoire naturelle.<p>Three subspecies are recognized:
- Scientific name
- Quiscalus quiscula
- Authority
- (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Icteridae
- Genus
- Quiscalus
Range and habitat
The breeding habitat is open and semiopen areas across North America east of the Rocky Mountains. The nest is a well-concealed cup in dense trees (particularly pine) or shrubs, usually near water; sometimes, the common grackle nests in cavities or in man-made structures. It often nests in colonies, some being quite large. Bird houses are also a suitable nesting site. Four to seven eggs are in a clutch.<p>This bird is a permanent resident in much of its range. Northern birds migrate in flocks to the Southeastern United States. The distribution of the common grackle is largely explained by annual mean temperature, and the species has expanded its range by greater than three-fold since the last glacial maximum, approximately 22,000 years ago.
- Migration
- Complete migrants
Behavior
The common grackle forages on the ground, in shallow water, or in shrubs; it may steal food from other birds. It is omnivorous, eating insects, minnows, frogs, eggs, berries, seeds, grain, and even small birds and rodents. Grackles at outdoor eating areas often wait eagerly until someone drops some food. They rush forward and try to grab it, often snatching food out of the beak of another bird. Grackles prefer to eat from the ground at bird feeders, making scattered seed an excellent choice of food for them. Grackles can be regularly seen foraging for insects, especially after a lawn trimming.<p>Grackles have a unique adaptation in the keel within their bill which allows them to crack and cut hard nuts or kernels. The keel projects downward from the horny palate and is sharper and more abrupt anterior. It extends below the level of the tomium and is used in a sawing motion to score open acorns or dried kernels. Larger adductor muscles within their jaw compared to those of other icterids make this adaptation even more useful for opening hard seeds and acorns.<p>Along with some other species of grackles, the common grackle is known to practice "anting", rubbing insects on its feathers possibly to apply liquids such as formic acid secreted by the insects.<p>The grackle's song is particularly harsh, especially when these birds, in a flock, are calling. Songs vary from year-round chewink chewink to a more complex breeding season ooo whew, whew, whew, whew, whew call that gets faster and faster and ends with a loud crewhewwhew! It also occasionally sounds like a power line buzzing. The grackle can also mimic the sounds of other birds or even humans, though not as precisely as the mockingbird, which is known to share its habitat in the Southeastern United States.<p>In the breeding season, males tip their heads back and fluff up feathers to display and keep other males away. This same behavior is used as a defensive posture to attempt to intimidate predators. Male common grackles are less aggressive toward one another, and more cooperative and social, than the larger boat-tailed grackle species.
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Acorn Woodpecker
Melanerpes formicivorus
Medium-sized woodpecker with unique face pattern: red crown, pale yellowish forehead and throat, and pale eye. Otherwise glossy-black with streaky underparts. In flight, look for blazing white rump and wing patches. Typically fairly common from western North America to Colombia, especially in mixed oak forests and other open woodlands. Social and conspicuous. Occurs in family groups that breed cooperatively. Well-known for stashing large numbers of acorns in telephone poles and tree trunks. Listen for nasal “waka-waka” calls and chatters.
Pale Thrush
Turdus pallidus
Although not actually pale, this brownish songbird is one of the plainer thrushes in its range. Found in areas of open woodland and scrubland; less tied to extensive forests than other thrushes, particularly in the winter, when it may often be found near reedbeds and in thickets. Sexes similar, both earthen-brown above, paler below, with grayish head, but male has darker ash-gray face, female a dingy white throat. White tail corners obvious in flight.
Orange-bellied Euphonia
Euphonia xanthogaster
Small finchlike bird, compact and short tailed. Generally yellow below and dark blue-back above with stout, short bill. To identify male euphonias, focus on the crown and throat: Orange-bellied has yellow cap and dark throat, as well as slightly orange-yellow belly. Females extremely difficult to separate from other euphonias but often seen in pairs or small groups with males. Frequents open forested habitats, edges, and gardens. Can form mixed feeding flocks with other species such as warblers and tanagers.
Start Your Bird Watching Journey
Identify a bird outdoors and keep the field guide close for your next observation.