Black Beauty~

Great Tailed Grackles are fun birds to watch.

You find them easily by following their loud and distinctive vocalizations.

They chatter, sing, whistle and shriek. (I included a link at the end of this post if you are interested in listening to the diversity of their songs and calls.)

But mostly they sing like this happy guy. Grackles are always at least as interested in you as you are in them!

They are devoted people watchers.

Cheers to you from the cheerful grackles~

Here is a sampling of their vocalizations:

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Great-tailed_Grackle/sounds

150 thoughts on “Black Beauty~

  1. Where I came from many believe they bring death, meaning someone you know will die if you see a blackbird sitting still close by. I don’t believe in superstition but I better go in the kitchen and throw some salt over my left shoulder -with the right hand of course, or it would be back luck. πŸ™‚

  2. Grackles are amazing. Smart and inventive, they are probably almost as intelligent as ravens (although not as aggressive). They have a more melodic sound, for sure. When I had bird feeders, I used to put out dry cat food for the grackles.

    • Interesting. They remind me a lot of the currawongs I photographed in Oz. Their personalities seemed similar too, in that both these birds will come right up to you if they choose to. დ

  3. It certainly has a long tail! I am pleased to see these clear photographs for I have read about these birds and didn’t know what they look like.

    • They are distinctive in terms of the loudness of their shrieks and their general lack of fear of people. If you feed ducks at a lake for example, they will join the flocks and step on your feet! დ

  4. Never heard of Great-Tailed Grackles! At first sight I thought this bird is a crow. One never stops learning… πŸ˜‰
    Thank you, dear Cindy! Have a fine weekend and stay safe!

    • They often hang around with cowbirds, so you were on the right track. And you’re right, thank goodness this world still has surprises in store for us. Be well my friend დ

  5. Our Grackles have white speckles on their back and they have a cackle for their call. Yours are so much prettier Cindy.
    Leslie xoxo

  6. I really like watching and hearing the grackles. We have lots of flocks around here. They sure can be noisy, but there feathers are so pretty the way they shine. πŸ™‚

  7. Your wish is my command when I have a chance to spelunk through some ole external drives of photo archives! Will take some time but I’ve got a few. 😊

  8. I’ve never been too fond of the grackles we have here, Cindy. They strike me as loud, aggressive, and somewhat bullying. Thanks for showing me a side of them I hadn’t observed before.

  9. Thousands of grackles roosted at the airport and occasionally one of them sought the heat of the terminal. I loved the reaction of the northern visitors who wondered about the exotic bird with the strange vocalizations. One used to sit on my desk…

    • You are not alone with this Charlotte. Blackbirds have been feared across the millennia as bad luck birds. I just think they are very intelligent, but I do not annoy them πŸ˜‰

  10. You’ve kinda made me like these birds! They tramp though the mulch in my garden and kick it out as they hunt for tasty bugs, so I’ve often viewed them as pests. You’ve shown how glossy black and beautiful their feathers are. And that they’re people watchers–never knew that!

  11. I love grackles! They are as smart as they are beautiful and full of personality. As a wildlife rehabber since the 80s, I’ve raised several from hatchlings, rehabilitating them back into the wild when they were ready. We have a whole flock of them who hang around our feeder and they turn out by the hundreds in spring and fall, singing, calling, and filling up all the trees — quite a spectacle. Your photos are amazing, Cindy, thank you for sharing.

    • How fabulous that you raised several from chicks. They are the most endearing birds, smart as you said, and also relatively unafraid and willing to come up to you and check you out! I love that დ

Leave a Reply