Common Grackle

Quiscalus quiscula

Near Threatened · IUCN Red List

NTNear ThreatenedOmnivoreWetlandCavity nestMedium · 105 g

What the Common Grackle sounds like

Sonogram of the Common Grackle: time runs left to right, pitch bottom to top, and the brighter the mark the louder the sound.
Recorded by Andrew Durso · Call · Fort Myers, Lee County, Florida, United States · CC BY 4.0 · via xeno-canto
Sonogram of the Common Grackle: time runs left to right, pitch bottom to top, and the brighter the mark the louder the sound.
Recorded by Jonathon Jongsma · Call · Sioux Center, Sioux, Iowa, United States · CC BY-SA 3.0 · via xeno-canto
Sonogram of the Common Grackle: time runs left to right, pitch bottom to top, and the brighter the mark the louder the sound.
Recorded by Jonathon Jongsma · Call, song · Sioux Center, Sioux, Iowa, United States · CC BY-SA 3.0 · via xeno-canto

ID tip

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.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

When to see the Common Grackle

One bar for each month. Filled bars are the 8 months with records; pale bars are months with none. The wide bar is May, the month with the most records.

Where to see the Common Grackle

Regular range

The map shades 5 countries with regular records. Everything unshaded has no records. Countries are listed below the map.

About the Common Grackle

The common grackle is an icterid bird found in large numbers through much of North America. It was first described in 1758 by Carl Linnaeus and has three officially recognized subspecies. Adult common grackles have a long and dark bill, pale yellow eyes, and a long tail. Adults often have a bluish iridescent appearance on their head, this feature being more pronounced on males. Common grackles can be found widely across North America east of the Rocky Mountains and are highly adaptable to their environment.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Easily confused with

Side by side: Common Grackle vs Great-tailed Grackle · Boat-tailed Grackle vs Common Grackle · Carib Grackle vs Common Grackle

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