365 Urban Species. #254: Great-tailed Grackle

[urbpan]

Female great-tailed grackle. Location: outside Jo's, Congress Ave., Austin.

Urban species #254: Great-tailed grackle Quiscalus mexicanus

The great-tailed grackle is a relative newcomer to cities in the United States. Before the twentieth century, this bird was rarely found north of Mexico, but during the past hundred years it has become the dominant urban bird in many places. Each year it expands it's range to new places in North America. In Austin it rules the city bird niche in much the same way as the starling does in northeastern cities, or the way crows and gulls do in the northwest. Grackles are omnivorous birds, happy to eat fallen crumbs at restaurant patios or fruit from ornamental trees and shrubs. They will prey on small urban animals, such as lizards and insects, or pick at morsels in dumpsters. Like many related blackbirds, great-tailed grackles are quite comfortable near water, and will get their feet wet to hunt aquatic invertebrates.

The male great-tailed grackle's song is an amazing array of metallic and electronic noises. When I first encountered this bird, in a residential neighborhood of Las Vegas, I assumed I was hearing an escaped parrot. Then when I encountered one perched and chattering in the landscaping at the Luxor hotel pool, I thought perhaps it was an escaped myna. (I was delighted to learn that it was simply the common urban bird of the area.) Like mockingbirds, great-tailed grackles will sing at night, which may not endear them to some city residents. Hopefully more urban people will learn to appreciate these birds, as they may be coming to a city near you, soon.


Male great tailed grackle. Many of the individuals we saw, like this one, were molting, and had patchy plumage, especially at the neck. Location: Zilker Park, Austin.




At the Austin Science and Nature Center, there is a pond with fish and turtles in it, with a vending machine that dispenses kibble to feed to these animals. The grackles converge when a person buys some fish food, and catch dropped kibbles, and even race the fish and turtles to pick up food floating in the pond. The grackle is to my right, on the railing, in front of the vending machine. Photo by cottonmanifesto


This female was waiting down at the pond, for fish food to come her way. Photo by cottonmanifesto

Comments

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

I realize I gave the impression they are mimics, but they really aren't. The parrotlike, "electronic and mechanical" sounds they make are all their own unique racket. (Unlike, say, starlings, which are known to imitate ring tones, and mockingbirds which imitate everything from crickets to frogs to birds to car alarrms.)