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While normally found year-round in the Southwestern United States, great-tailed grackles can occasionally be seen here in Florida. Not to be confused with the boat-tailed grackle or common grackle, this species has unusually long, splayed tail feathers. The males are twice the size of female great-tailed grackles and sport iridescent black plumage. The females have long, slender tail feathers.

Great-tailed grackles are a member of the Icteridae family (New World Blackbirds) but are commonly mistaken for Corvidae. Similar to crows. They eat a wide variety of foods such as insects, grains, fruits, and even small fish. Although incapable of swimming, great-tailed grackles are known to forage in shallow waters searching for tadpoles and crustaceans.

This species of grackle is frequently spotted in rural areas during the day before coming back to urban areas to roost for the night. Great-tailed grackles are a common sight on farms, where they live in symbiosis with cattle by eating the parasites that plague the bovine. All in all, they are a welcome sight to Florida’s coasts and woodlands– as well as the occasional parking lot.

Photo Credit: Lynn Marie

Author: Sarina Pennington IOF Volunteer