Great-tailed Grackle
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Passeriformes Family: Icteridae Genus: Quiscalus
Species: Quiscalus mexicanus
The Great-tailed Grackle is one of America’s most rapidly expanding species of bird. It is well-adapted to urban life, and it can often be seen scouring parks and public places in search of food discarded by humans. While males of this species are a stunning, iridescent black, females are smaller with matte brown coloring. However, because they are smaller and require less food to survive, they are more likely to survive to adulthood than males. Males, when they are courting females or defending their territory, fluff up their feathers and rattle them, making the bird appear twice its size. This species has a very loud, rattling call that is responsible for its pest-like connotation. The flocks of the Great-tailed Grackle can be made of tens of thousands of birds at a time, and they sometimes gather in gigantic roosts during the winter.
Conservation status: Least concern
Description: Males are a glossy, iridescent black while females are a drab brown and lack the males’ iridescence; both have yellow eyes and a long wedge-shaped tail
Length: 18 inches
Wingspan: 22 inches
Diet: Larvae, insects, lizards, nestlings, eggs, parasites, fruits, grains, fish, crustaceans, worms, and other birds
Habitat: Woodlands, parks, and urban areas
Season: All year
Credit source: Cornell Lab of Ornithology
