Bird guide · Quiscalus mexicanus
Great-tailed Grackle
What the great-tailed 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
- 20.5 in (52 cm)
- Eats
- seeds, grain, fruit
- Feeds
- ground, tray/platform
- Most common
- Texas, Nevada, Arizona
Food
What do great-tailed grackles eat?
At feeders, great-tailed grackles take seeds, grain, fruit.
Feeds in flocks, mostly on the ground.
Feeder that suits it
A low tray or platform feeder, or seed scattered on the ground below your feeder.
Range
Where do great-tailed grackles live?
Southwest and south-central US, still spreading north. By share of all bird sightings, great-tailed grackles are most common in Texas (1.9%).
States where great-tailed grackles are most common
- Texas1.9%
- Nevada1.5%
- Arizona1.2%
- New Mexico0.7%
- Oklahoma0.6%
- Utah0.4%
- Kansas0.3%
- Louisiana0.3%
- California0.3%
- Colorado0.2%
Share of all bird sightings in each state that are great-tailed grackles, 2019–2024.
Season
Does the great-tailed grackle migrate?
Partial migrant. Across the US it is reported in every month; its share of bird sightings is highest in April.
Share of all bird sightings in the US that are great-tailed grackles, by month.
Identification
How to identify the great-tailed grackle
Male: Glossy black with a very long tail and yellow eyes; male 46–58 cm.
Female: Smaller (38–46 cm), buff below and on the eyebrow.
Size: 20.5 in (52 cm)
On camera
Getting the great-tailed 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
Great-tailed Grackle: questions
What do great-tailed grackles eat?
At feeders, seeds, grain, fruit.
Do great-tailed grackles migrate?
Partial migrant. Across the US it is reported in every month; its share of bird sightings is highest in April.
Where do great-tailed grackles live?
By share of all bird sightings, they are most common in Texas, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma. They are rare or absent in Alabama, Alaska, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida.
What does a female great-tailed grackle look like?
Smaller (38–46 cm), buff below and on the eyebrow.
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