Great-tailed Grackle

Great-tailed Grackle, male

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Great-tailed Grackle, female

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1. Description
2. Sound
3. Conservation Status
4. Other Names
5. Cool Facts
6. Full detailed species account

A large, noisy blackbird, the Great-tailed Grackle has been expanding its range in North America throughout the last century. A bird of open country with scattered trees and water, it took advantage of urbanization and irrigation to move northward from Mexico into much of western United States.

Description

• Large blackbird.
• Very long tail.
• Male shiny black, female brown.

• Size: 38-46 cm (15-18 in)
• Weight: 115-265 g (4.06-9.35 ounces)

Sex Differences

Male iridescent black. Female dull brown and significantly smaller.

Sound

Song a loud series of harsh rattles interspersed with whistling notes and other noises.

Conservation Status

Uses human-modified habitats and has expanded its range. Populations have been increasing in all parts of range. Considered a pest species because it damages some crops.

Other Names

Quiscale à longue queue (French)
Zanate mexicano, Sanate/Clarinero (Spanish)

Cool Facts

• Three different subspecies of Great-tailed Grackles have expanded into the United States from three separate areas of Mexico.

• The Great-tailed and Boat-tailed grackles have at times been considered the same species. Current thinking is that they are closely related, but different species.

• As it expands its range northward the Great-tailed Grackle tends to migrate out of the most northern areas. It quickly becomes a resident and stays through the winter.

• Great-tailed Grackles roost together in large numbers outside of the breeding season. In Central America these large, noisy roosts frequently are found in the central plaza of small towns.

Sources used to construct this page:

Johnson, K., and B. D. Peer. 2001. Great-tailed Grackle (Quiscalus mexicanus). In The Birds of North America, No. 576 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.