If a large blackbird with a long wedge-shaped tail and a pale staring eye struts across the grass, you have found a Common Grackle (Quiscalus quiscula). In good light its black feathers flash purple, blue, and bronze.
What it looks like
Adults are about 30cm long, bigger than a robin, with a heavy body and a long keel-shaped tail they fold into a V in flight. The plumage looks black from far away but shines with an oily sheen up close, glossy blue on the head and bronze on the body. The eye is a bright pale yellow, which gives the bird a fierce look. The bill is long, dark, and sharp.
When and where
- Season: Spring through fall, some stay all winter
- Habitat: City parks, lawns, farm fields, wet edges
- Best time: Morning on open grass
A bold and hungry eater
Grackles will eat almost anything they find. They pick insects from lawns, raid corn fields, and even wade into shallow water to grab small fish. They often gather in big noisy flocks, especially outside the breeding season, when hundreds may roost together in one stand of trees. Watch one at a puddle and you may see it dunk dry bread to soften it before eating.
Spot one this weekend
The Common Grackle is Common. Scan open lawns in a park for a long-tailed blackbird walking with a confident strut. Catch it in sunlight and look for the purple and bronze shine and that pale yellow eye.