Great-tailed Grackle

The Great-tailed Grackle is a large, lanky member of the blackbird family known for its iridescent plumage and enormously long, keel-shaped tail. Males are glossy black with purple-blue iridescence on the head and back, bright yellow eyes, and a tail that can equal or exceed half their total body length, often held in a deep V-shape or folded like a keel in flight. Females are much smaller and duller, with brown upperparts, a pale buffy throat and breast, and a proportionately shorter tail. This striking size difference between the sexes is one of the most pronounced of any North American songbird.

Highly social and conspicuous, Great-tailed Grackles gather in large, noisy flocks, especially outside the breeding season, and have become a familiar sight in parking lots, city parks, and fast-food restaurant lots across the southern and central United States.

Key Field Marks

• Very long, wedge-shaped tail, often folded into a deep V or keel shape, especially in males
• Males: glossy black overall with purple-blue iridescence, bright pale-yellow eyes
• Females: smaller, brown above, buffy below, with a shorter tail and dark eyes
• Large, heavy, slightly downcurved bill
• Long legs and an upright, strutting walk

Similar Species

• Boat-tailed Grackle is nearly identical but restricted to coastal areas of the southeastern and Gulf Coast states, with limited range overlap; female Boat-taileds tend to have darker brown underparts than female Great-taileds.
• Common Grackle is noticeably smaller with a shorter tail and bronze or purple (not purple-blue) iridescence.
• Female Brown-headed Cowbirds are much smaller and lack the long tail.

Habitat

Great-tailed Grackles favor open and semi-open habitats close to water or human development, including marshes, agricultural fields, golf courses, city parks, and parking lots. They roost communally in large numbers in trees, reedbeds, or urban plantings.

Range

Native to the southwestern and south-central United States, Mexico, and Central America, the species has dramatically expanded its range northward and eastward over the past century, now breeding as far north as the northern Great Plains and Pacific Northwest.

Migration

Most populations are resident or make only short-distance movements, though northern populations may shift southward in winter to concentrate around reliable food and roost sites.

Behavior

Gregarious and bold, Great-tailed Grackles forage on the ground in flocks, walking with a confident, strutting gait. Males perform elaborate courtship displays, fluffing their feathers, spreading their tails, and calling loudly while several males compete for a harem of females.

Voice

Their vocal repertoire is extraordinarily varied and loud, including harsh rattles, whistles, clacks, and shrill ascending notes, often delivered from an exposed perch.

Feeding

Omnivorous and opportunistic, they eat insects, seeds, grain, small frogs, lizards, nestlings and eggs of other birds, and readily scavenge human food scraps.

Nesting & Breeding

The species is polygynous, with dominant males mating with multiple females. Females build a bulky cup nest of grass and mud, typically in a tree, shrub, or reedbed, often in loose colonies, and incubate 2-4 eggs alone.