Boat-tailed grackle

The male Boat-tailed Grackle is 42 cm long. Adult males have entirely iridescent black plumage, a long dark bill, a pale yellowish or brown iris and a long keel-shaped tail. The 37 cm long adult female is shorter tailed and tawny-brown in colour apart from the darker wings and tail.

The Boat-tailed grackle is classified as Least Concern. Does not qualify for a more at risk category. Widespread and abundant taxa are included in this category.

The Boat-tailed Grackle (Quiscalus major) is a passerine bird of the family Icteridae found as a permanent resident on the coasts of the southeastern USA. It is found in coastal saltwater marshes, and, in Florida, also on inland waters. The nest is a well-concealed cup in trees or shrubs near water; three to five eggs are laid. The male Boat-tailed Grackle is 42 cm (17 in) long. More

A large, long-tailed blackbird, the Boat-tailed Grackle is found exclusively along the Gulf and Atlantic coasts of the United States. The noisy, iridescent, purple-black male is hard to miss when it displays on power lines and telephone poles. The smaller brown female is much less conspicuous, and might even be mistaken for a different species. More

Bent Life History for the Boat-tailed Grackle - the common name and sub-species reflect the nomenclature in use at the time the description was written. now Boat-tailed Grackle Florida Boat-Tailed Grackle CASSIDIX MEXICANUS MAJOR (Viejilot) Contributed by ALEXANDER SPRUNT, JR. More

The Boat-tailed Grackle has a large range, estimated globally at 200,000 square kilometers. It is native to the United States and Canada and lives in Wetlands and Marine Coastal habitats, preferring saline areas. The global population of the bird is 3,700,000 individuals. The current population trends of the bird do not bring it near the population decline threshold that is used to determine qualification for inclusion to the IUCN Red List. More

Boat-tailed Grackle male has iridescent plumage, with wings and long keel-shaped tail more greenish. Eyes are yellow or brown. Blackish bill is slightly down curved. Legs and feet are black. Female has tawny brown upperparts, with darker wings and tail. Breast is pale brown. Eyes are yellow to dark brown. She is smaller than male, almost one half-size. Juvenile male has black plumage without iridescences and brown eyes. More

Boat-tailed Grackle, differing in size and iris colour. The Boat-tailed Grackle was once considered the same species as the Great-tailed Grackle. These birds forage on the ground, in shallow water, or in shrubs; they will steal food from other birds. They are omnivorous, eating insects, minnows, frogs, eggs, berries, seeds, and grain, even small birds. This bird's song is a harsh jeeb , and it has a variety of typically grackle-like chatters and sqeaks. Copyright: Wikipedia. More

The Boat-tailed Grackle is sexually dimorphic, and it is a large blackbird with a very long, keeled tail. Northern birds have pale eyes, while Florida and Gulf Coast birds have dark eyes. Males are much larger than females, and are entirely blackish, with a purple gloss to the head and greenish gloss to the body. boat-tailed grackle Female - Females are smaller than males, and are rusty-brownish in color with darker wings. More

A very large, glossy black bird, the Boat-tailed Grackle’s common name refers to its long tail, often held in a V-shape to form a “keel.” Found along the coast from Texas to Long Island, this songbird prefers salt and brackish marshes, where it breeds in colonies and socializes in noisy flocks. The Boat-tailed Grackle has been expanding its range northward since the 1940's, probably due to milder winters north of the Carolinas. More

The Boat-tailed Grackle in Louisiana has brown eyes, a feature that readily sets it apart from the Great-tailed Grackle, in which the eye color is bright golden yellow. The eye of the male Boat-tail sometimes shows a narrow rim of yellow around the perimeter of the iris, and occasionally it may even appear to be a dull yellowish brown. The flashing of the white nictitating membrane across the eye also lends to it a light appearance under certain circumstances, but as H. More

The Boat-Tailed Grackle roosts communally at night in the bulrushes at Wakodahatchee. Around sunset, flocks begin to pour in from all around. During roosting, the males sing in pairs, chest to chest, with head and beak straight up. I have not read an explanation for this behavior. Boat Tailed grackles have been known to pick the insects directly off the backs of cattle. More

The Boat-tailed Grackle has a very long and keel-shaped tail. The male is black, with iridescent blue on its back and breast. It has yellow or brown eyes. The female is smaller, brown and has a paler breast. The Common Grackle is smaller and the female lacks the paler breast. The Great-tailed Grackle of western Louisiana and Texas has iridescent purple back and breast and always has yellow eyes. More

Boat-tailed Grackle is rarely found far from saltwater. Both Common and Great-tailed Grackles might be present with it. Boat-tailed Grackle can be told from Great-tailed grackle by the color of the eye. The Boat-tailed Grackles of the Gulf Coast have dark eyes while the Great-tailed Grackles of the Gulf Coast have bright yellow eyes. With a little experience the shape of the head will also tell you which grackle you are looking at. More

get a Boat-tailed Grackle by the Administration Building, and an American Kestrel on the DeKorte Park Osprey Platform. The Grackle was making an incredible racket - heard it from 50 yards away. A full complement of ducks is still hanging out in the impoundments. Posted by NJMC on March 25, 2010 at 02:55 PM | Permalink Technorati Tags: Boat-tailed Grackle, Kestrel, Meadowlands Digg This | Save to del.icio. More

Boat-tailed Grackle 1 - Galveston Co, TX - April Boat-tailed Grackle 2 - Galveston Co, TX - April Site Navigation More

Aspects of the topic boat-tailed grackle are discussed in the following places at Britannica. Assorted References * description (in grackle (Icteridae grouping)) ...Quiscalus quiscula) of North America is about 30 cm (12 inches) long. In the great-tailed and boat-tailed grackles (Cassidix mexicanus and C. major), the male has a long, deeply keeled tail: his total length may be 43 cm. More

● Similar species: Boat-tailed Grackle: Great-tailed grackle is larger and has bright yellow eyes, longer bill, flatter crown, and is found inland west of Mississippi River. Smooth-billed Ani has dark eyes, thick curved bill, and long, graduated tail. Flight Pattern Swift direct flight with rapid wing beats., Strong direct flight on rapidly beating wings with long keeled tail extended behind. More

Boat-tailed Grackle, the form most likely to be in the range of Great-tailed, has dark eyes while the eyes of a Great-tailed Grackle are yellow. send green star Fred H. 1 month ago | Cool Facts * Eye color in the Boat-tailed Grackle varies from region to region. Grackles along the Atlantic coast north of Florida have straw-colored eyes. Florida birds have dark eyes. More

The Boat-tailed Grackle of salt marshes is very similar, but males are iridescent blue or blue-green and often have brown eyes. The Great-tailed Grackle is a year-round resident from California, Colorado, Kansas and western Louisiana southward. It inhabits farmlands with scattered trees and thickets. Its song consists of a variety of whistles, clucks and hissing notes. More