Great-tailed Grackle: how to recognise it
A bird seen on most continents. Learn the marks that make it easy to identify, then practise with real photographs in Lore.
Practise with real photosAll species guides
Photo © Ad Konings · CC BY-NC · iNaturalist · all photo credits
- Scientific name
- Quiscalus mexicanus
- Family
- New World Blackbirds and Orioles
- Size
- About 43 cm
- Habitat
- Towns, farmland, marshes and open ground
- Found in
- Europe, Asia, North America, South America and Oceania
The key marks
Big, glossy black blackbird with a very long, deep keel-shaped tail, a pale yellow eye and a long bill. Common Grackle is smaller, with a shorter tail and a bronze or purple sheen on the body.
Voice
A loud jumble of whistles, clacks, rattles and harsh notes.
Good to know
Noisy flocks gather in car parks and town squares, and the species has spread steadily north across the western United States.
Do not confuse with
Compare it with the Common Grackle. Look at the marks above one by one rather than the overall colour, and practise telling the two apart with real photos.
Where and when
You can expect to find it in towns, farmland, marshes and open ground. It is especially common in Mexico, Panama, Texas and Costa Rica. Distribution changes with the seasons and from year to year, so check a recent local observation source before you go looking.