Common Grackle
Quiscalus quiscula
Also called grackle.
The pale yellow eye in a black head is the fastest identification of any blackbird. In flight the tail is folded into a keel shape, like the hull of a boat, which nothing else does.
- Size
- Robin to jay — 28–34 cm
- Bill
- Thin and pointed
- Where
- yard, open field, feeder, city
- Season
- year round
What it looks like
Long-bodied and long-tailed, glossy black with strong bronze or purple iridescence on the head, a heavy pointed bill and a staring pale yellow eye.
The checks that confirm it
- A pale yellow eye — obvious even at distance.
- A long tail held in a V-shaped keel in flight.
- Iridescence that changes from bronze to purple with the angle of the light.
- Walks on lawns in loose flocks.
Voice
A harsh rising creak, often compared to a rusty gate.
Attracting it
Cracked corn and mixed seed on the ground. They dominate open feeders; tube feeders with short perches exclude them.
Confused with
Much shorter tail, dark eye, and white spotting in winter.
Smaller, short conical bill, dark eye, and a brown head on the male.
Questions about this bird
How do you identify a common grackle?
A pale yellow eye — obvious even at distance. A long tail held in a V-shaped keel in flight.
What does a common grackle sound like?
A harsh rising creak, often compared to a rusty gate.
How do you attract a common grackle?
Cracked corn and mixed seed on the ground. They dominate open feeders; tube feeders with short perches exclude them.