Great-tailed Grackle

Quiscalus mexicanusOrder: PASSERIFORMES Family: Blackbirds and Orioles (Icteridae)

Codes: Common Name: GTGR Scientific Name: QUIMEX ITIS Taxonomic No.: 179109

Breeding Location:

Grassland with scattered trees, Marshes, Urban

Breeding Type:

Polygamous, Colonial

Breeding Population:

Egg Color:

Light gray to light blue with red purple markings

Number of Eggs:

3 - 4

Incubation Days:

13 - 14

Egg Incubator:

Female

Nest Material:

Bark, sticks, weeds, and grass.

Migration:

Some migrate

General

Great-tailed Grackle: Large blackbird with iridescent black body and purple sheen. Eyes are yellow. Tail is long and keeled. Female is smaller with shorter tail, brown upperparts, gray-brown underparts, and yellow-green eyes. Juvenile is similar to female but has dark eyes.

Range and Habitat

Great-tailed Grackle: Resident from California, Colorado, Kansas, and western Louisiana southward. Preferred habitats include open areas with scattered trees, cultivated areas, marshes, parks, and areas around human habitation.

Breeding and Nesting

Great-tailed Grackle: Three to four light blue to gray eggs with red purple markings are laid in a nest made of grass, bark, and weeds, and built in a palm or shade tree near water. Incubation ranges from 13 to 14 days and is carried out by the female.

Foraging and Feeding

Great-tailed Grackle: Feeds on insects, worms, small vertebrates (including tadpoles, small fish, and lizards), plant matter, and garbage. Forages while walking on the ground and wading in water; also steals food from other birds.

Vocalization

Great-tailed Grackle: Call is a loud cacophony that includes clear whistles and rattling notes.

Similar Species

Great-tailed Grackle: Boat-tailed Grackle is usually dark-eyed.

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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

Great-tailed Grackle

Great-tailed Grackle: Large blackbird, iridescent black body and purple sheen. Yellow eyes. Long, keeled tail. Walks on ground, wades in water to forage. Eats snails, insects, frogs, shrimp, small fish and birds, eggs and young of other birds, fruits, berries, seeds and grains. Strong direct flight.

● Song: "may-ree, may-ree"

● Foraging & Feeding: Great-tailed Grackle: Feeds on insects, worms, small vertebrates (including tadpoles, small fish, and lizards), plant matter, and garbage. Forages while walking on the ground and wading in water; also steals food from other birds.

● Breeding & nesting: Great-tailed Grackle: Three to four light blue to gray eggs with red purple markings are laid in a nest made of grass, bark, and weeds, and built in a palm or shade tree near water. Incubation ranges from 13 to 14 days and is carried out by the female.

● Similar species: Great-tailed Grackle: Boat-tailed Grackle is usually dark-eyed.

Flight Pattern

Strong swift direct flight on rapidly beating wings.

● Range & Habitat: Great-tailed Grackle: Resident from California, Colorado, Kansas, and western Louisiana southward. Preferred habitats include open areas with scattered trees, cultivated areas, marshes, parks, and areas around human habitation.

^BreedingPolygamous, Colonial

^Population

^MigrationSome migrate

^Weight6.7 Ounces

Underparts

Belly, undertail coverts, chest, flanks, and foreneck.

Upperparts

Back, rump, hindneck, wings, and crown.

4 and 6 letter alpha codes

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

Field Guide to Birds of North America