Common Grackle

Quiscalus quiscula

The common grackle is an icterid bird found in large numbers through much of North America. It was first described in 1758 by Carl Linnaeus and has three officially recognized subspecies. Adult common grackles have a long and dark bill, pale yellow eyes, and a long tail. Adults often have a bluish iridescent appearance on their head, this feature being more pronounced on males. Common grackles can be found widely across North America east of the Rocky Mountains and are highly adaptable to their environment. Source

Where it is now

In the last 8 weeks this bird was recorded 5,095,432 times across 57 areas (each area is a 5 degree square).

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Movement and weather

Each season it is first heard regularly where daytime highs are around 8°C (typically 2 to 17°C, from 39 areas). That range is wide, so temperature alone does not explain when it turns up.

Over the weeks it was present in the past year, its centre in North America ranged from 30°N in January to 50°N in July, about 2,200 km apart.

Arrival dates

The week it was first heard regularly in each region, after at least six weeks away. Dates differ from south to north, so a region has a range.

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Figures are effort corrected and come from automatic sound identification, which makes mistakes. How this is measured and how it compares with human observers.