Bird guide · Quiscalus quiscula
Common Grackle
What the common grackle eats, where it lives, when it comes to feeders and how to recognise it – with sightings from every US state.
- Season
- Partial migrant
- Size
- 12.2 in (31 cm)
- Eats
- grain, seeds
- Feeds
- ground, tray/platform
- Most common
- South Dakota, North Dakota, Nebraska
Food
What do common grackles eat?
At feeders, common grackles take grain, seeds.
Comes to feeders in flocks for grain and seeds.
Feeder that suits it
A low tray or platform feeder, or seed scattered on the ground below your feeder.
Range
Where do common grackles live?
East and Midwest; present all year in much of the eastern US. By share of all bird sightings, common grackles are most common in South Dakota (2.3%).
States where common grackles are most common
- South Dakota2.3%
- North Dakota2.2%
- Nebraska2.0%
- Massachusetts1.8%
- New York1.7%
- Michigan1.7%
- Kentucky1.6%
- Connecticut1.6%
- Wisconsin1.5%
- Illinois1.5%
Share of all bird sightings in each state that are common grackles, 2019–2024.
Season
Does the common grackle migrate?
Partial migrant. Across the US it is reported in every month; its share of bird sightings is highest in June.
Share of all bird sightings in the US that are common grackles, by month.
Identification
How to identify the common grackle
Adults: Glossy black with an iridescent blue or purple head, pale eye and long creased tail.
Size: 12.2 in (31 cm)
On camera
Getting the common grackle on a feeder camera
Most visits happen on the ground or on low trays. A camera feeder with a wide tray, placed low near cover, catches far more than a hanging tube.
Questions
Common Grackle: questions
What do common grackles eat?
At feeders, grain, seeds.
Do common grackles migrate?
Partial migrant. Across the US it is reported in every month; its share of bird sightings is highest in June.
Where do common grackles live?
By share of all bird sightings, they are most common in South Dakota, North Dakota, Nebraska, Massachusetts, New York. They are rare or absent in Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada.
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