Common Grackle
(Quiscalus quiscula)
Conservation • Description • Habitat • Ecology • Distribution • Taxonomy
|
|
||||||||||||||
Description |
|
Size |
11″ to 13½″ in length 17″ wingspan |
Voice |
|
|
| One or more harsh, strained notes, followed by a metallic squeek |
Similar Species |
Habitat |
Wetlands, fields, wet meadows, riparian woodlands, coniferous forest and woodland edges, urban parks |
Ecology |
Migration |
|
Nesting |
|
Food |
|
Distribution |
Occurrence |
Abundant migrant and breeder |
Maps |
The Minnesota Ornithologists’ Union All Seasons Species Occurrence Map |
Taxonomy |
|
Class |
Aves (birds) |
Order |
Passeriformes (perching birds) |
Family |
Icteridae (New World blackbirds and orioles) |
Genus |
Quiscalus (grackles) |
Subordinate Taxa |
|
Bronzed Grackle (Quiscalus quiscula versicolor) Florida Grackle (Quiscalus quiscula quiscula) Purple Grackle (Quiscalus quiscula stonei) |
|
Synonyms |
|
Gracula quiscula |
|
Visitor Photos |
||
Share your photo of this bird. |
||
This button not working for you? |
||
Greg Watson |
 |
Margot Avey |
 |
Ramona Abrego |
 |
Bill Reynolds |
 |
Tom Baker |
 |
MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos |
||
 |
 |
Slideshows |
Common Grackle |
|
Common Grackle |
|
Common Grackles |
|
Visitor Videos |
||
Share your video of this bird. |
||
This button not working for you? |
||
|
Other Videos |
||
Common Grackle - Quiscalus quiscula Juvenilles |
About
Uploaded on Aug 29, 2010 No description available. |
birds usa... common crackle |
About
Published on Aug 11, 2012 Quiscalus quiscula Muscatatuck National Wildlife Refuge, Seymour, Indiana, USA 07-08-2012 |
Common Grackle Nestling (Icteridae:Quiscalus quiscula) in Nest |
About
Uploaded on Jun 28, 2011 It's first long look at a human, I think. ;-) Photographed at Fisher, Minnesota (28 June 2011). |
Noisy Grackle |
About
Published on Nov 21, 2012 A male common grackle (Quiscalus quiscula) displaying and making alarm calls. He did this for several minutes, as you can see here. |
Common Grackle - Feeding in The Wild |
About
Published on Apr 4, 2013 Common Grackles are blackbirds that look like they've been slightly stretched or even like a shrunken crow. They have a more tapered bill and glossy bodies that resemble an "oil spill" in the sunlight. Grackles walk around lawns on their long legs. They gather in high in trees, mainly evergreens, and make a lot of noise. They do not have the most pleasant sound, so they get a bad rap. They do eat crops (corn) and of course they eat bird seed. I have even heard they eat garbage. In fact, Grackles are the number one threat to corn crop. Farmers sometimes spray the corn with a foul tasting chemical (yum!). Check out their yellow eyes. They are quite a bird. Grackles are underrated. (you may notice some sparrows, pigeons and red wing blackbirds in the vid) |
Visitor Sightings |
||
Report a sighting of this bird. |
||
This button not working for you? |
||
Greg Watson |
Location: Wagon Wheel Trail, La Crescent, MN. |
 |
| Margot Avey 5/15/2022 |
Location: Golden Valley, MN |
|
| Ramona Abrego | Location: Washington County |
|
| Bill Reynolds 5/24/2014 |
Location: Pennington Co. |
|
| Tom Baker 6/16/2012 |
Location: Edenbrook Conservation Area |
|
MinnesotaSeasons.com Sightings |
||
|
Created: 6/19/2009 Last Updated: © MinnesotaSeasons.com. All rights reserved. |