The boat-tailed grackle (Quiscalus major) is a passerine bird of the family Icteridae found as a permanent resident on the coasts of the Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic United States.

Habitat

The boat-tailed grackle is found in coastal saltwater marshes and across the Florida peninsula. In salt marsh areas, least bitterns will often associate with and make mixed colonies with grackles. Boat-tailed grackles have established significant populations in several United States Gulf Coast cities and towns, using human activity as protection against predation and scavenging through human trash. Urban boat-tailed grackle populations can be found foraging in trash bins, parking lots, and outdoor restaurant patios.

Male boat-tailed grackles compete to defend and mate with a harem of closely nesting females, although DNA evidence shows that females often successfully mate with other males while away from their colony, with only about a quarter of the young being fathered by the dominant male.

Description

The male boat-tailed grackle is long and weighs .

thumb|Boat-Tailed Grackle

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File:Boat-tailed Grackleon sanibel Island, Florida.jpg|Male vocalizing on Sanibel Island, Florida

File:Quiscalus major-female.jpg|Female at Rodanthe Public Beach, North Carolina

File:Boat-Tailed Grackle.jpg|Male at Deerfield Beach, Florida

File:GatheringOfGrackles.jpg|A gathering of Grackles at Winding Waters Nature Area, Florida

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References

  • Boat-tailed grackle at Florida Bird Sounds (Florida Museum of Natural History)