The Common Grackle can be a handsome bird when seen from a short distance. Covering its head, neck and upper breast is a purple iridescence that can amaze viewers in the right light. The rest of its feathers, including its long, wedge-shaped tail, are glossed in a bronze-green sheen. But this beauty can be lost on many; a result of the combination of the grackle’s lack of table manners (and all other manners), its voice that sounds like “an un-oiled wheelbarrow” and the invasion of both lawn and feeders by large flocks of these noisy birds.
Canada’s largest blackbird is both noisy and cocky, and is a resourceful forager. The grackle’s main summer diet consists of insects, small invertebrates and occasionally the eggs and nestlings of other birds. In winter, it will eat waste, grains, seeds, fruit and garbage. They will follow plows to catch invertebrates, pick leeches off the legs of turtles and steal worms from robins, among other techniques to get fast food. The grackle breeds in many different sites but it favours damp, open woodlands, the shores of lakes and streams and wet meadows. Be on the lookout for Grackles as they return to Alberta in April; they are almost here.
The young grackle is even noisier than the adult.
Note the long, wedge-shaped and keeled tail of this grackle.
Posted by Matthew Sim
Lots of grackles in SE Calgary today! Anybody else see them?
I had a small flock, about 30. but sometimes there are 200+ during fall migration.
I’ve been in Fort McMurray (Northern Alberta) For 20 years and just last Fall is when I started getting grackles at my feeder and Again this year we didn’t start seeing grackles till The end of August I’m curious on when they leave for the winter? As I don’t remember seeing them throughout the winter at all up here
They come thorugh the Calgary area in September and October in big flocks so I think they must depart their northern range by mid-September. They don’t normally overwinter althoguh the odd one may.
Thanks for the post – unlike Pat and Bob I have not yet seen a grackle this year but I will be keeping my eyes (and ears!) open this weekend. I like the way that you included ID tips into the text and photo captions.
My grackles just arrived today as well, but this is the latest they’ve ever shown up in my yard. Interesting that we’re all in the south east quadrant of the city, but have such varying return dates for these birds.
I had just finished reading your post this morning, Matthew, when I looked out the window and saw a Common Grackle fly by! The first one I’ve seen this year, and right on schedule, just three days later than last year.