Don's Jersey Birding: The Un-Common Grackle


Common Grackle.
Photo credit: MC Malzone

by Don Torino

So I got my appointment with Dr. Phil and I'm willing to cry with Barbara Walters to make my confession and come clean to the whole birding world.  I LOVE Grackles!  There, I said it!  It's out in the open and I feel better already.  At the risk of being shunned by the general public and especially by the good folks that feed birds, I admit I really enjoy when those huge flocks of clamoring radiant blackbirds descend upon my bird feeders like the flying monkeys from the Wizard of Oz.  To me, they are like the cool guys with the leather jackets; a little scary but you really want to hang out with them.

I know, I know.  They come into your backyard, scare all the birds away, eat all the food, and at times rob eggs and nestlings, but they are just too fascinating to be considered a pest bird.  I often answer my Grackle-hating critics by saying, "If Grackles were red, like Cardinals, you would be asking me how to attract more of them to your backyard."  Unfortunately, Grackles are also considered a nuisance species by farmers, and it is legal to kill them at will.  So if there was ever a bird that needed a good public relations firm, it is the Common Grackle.

One of the biggest misconceptions about the Common Grackle is that it is a member of the crow family, or related to a starling.  In actuality, it is a native bird in the Icteridae family, which means it is related to beautiful birds such as Orioles and Meadowlarks.  They are migratory birds that move in large flocks, which accounts for the great numbers that use our backyards like a Hotel 6 while on their route.

They also have some very interesting behaviors, one of which is dunking their food in water, such as your birdbath.  I am not sure why they do this, but it is fun to watch.  They also have another behavior which makes them real popular with pool owners.  They drop their nestling's fecal sacs, which are basically baby bird diapers into water to keep predators from being attracted to their nest.  They will fly over ponds, lakes, birdbaths, pools, and its bombs away.

I decided to talk with Dave Hall who is in charge of field work for Bergen County Audubon to see if I was alone in my fascination with Grackles.  

"They show a lot of features that ought to catch our eye but somehow we rarely give them the attention they deserve," said Hall.  "They are actually quite colorful when viewed carefully, but most of us tend to neglect to see their beauty of their purple, blue and green iridescent plumage.  Furthermore, our Common Grackles tend to break down in two different races depending on their plumage, which most of us never learn to tell apart.  How many of us ever detected "bronzed" Grackles as they filter through New Jersey (most of our birds are of the coastal race)?  I guarantee that bronzed Grackles can be found if we only looked". 

Dave also added that he is fascinated with their seemingly unbalanced tails, which have a keel shape.  "I am not certain what value this shape has but it easily separates them from other blackbird species," added Dave.

So it seems I'm not the only one who enjoys watching and wondering about this wonderful but misunderstood bird.  Hopefully the next time these great birds pass by on your next birding trip or stop on their long migratory journey to use your backyard to rest and continue their journey, you will think of them a little differently and say: Hey!  Here come those beautiful Common Grackles!

Don Torino is the Education Chairperson for Bergen County Audubon Society.

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Posted by WILDNEWJERSEY at 1/25/2011 2:00 PM
Categories: Don's Jersey Birding
Tags: grackles blackbirds Bergen County Audubon Society cardinal oriole meadowlarks
 

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