Great-tailed Grackle (Quiscalus mexicanus)
Illustration redrawn by AI from a real photograph

Great-tailed Grackle

Quiscalus mexicanus (Gmelin, JF, 1788)

160 gWeight

The great-tailed grackle or Mexican grackle (Quiscalus mexicanus) is a medium-sized, highly social passerine bird native to North and South America.

Busiest months: April · Most records: United States, Costa Rica, Mexico

Least Concern

Where and when it's recorded

Great-tailed Grackle has been recorded at 625 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 18 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

  1. Riparian Preserve at Gilbert Water RanchUnited States25,067 records
  2. Estero Llano Grande SP WBCUnited States25,006 records
  3. Sweetwater WetlandsUnited States19,409 records
More places
  1. Bentsen-Rio Grande Val. SP WBC (Mission)United States14,659 records
  2. Hornsby BendUnited States13,974 records
  3. South Padre Is. – WBC/Conv. Center/Laguna Madre TrailUnited States13,480 records
  4. Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Ctr.United States13,187 records
  5. South Padre Is. – Birding and Nature CenterUnited States11,843 records
  6. Santa Ana NWRUnited States11,503 records
  7. High Island – Smith Oaks SanctuaryUnited States10,269 records

Countries and regions with the most records

United StatesCosta RicaMexicoBelizeGuatemalaPanamaHondurasNicaragua

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The great-tailed grackle or Mexican grackle (Quiscalus mexicanus) is a medium-sized, highly social passerine bird native to North and South America. A member of the family Icteridae, it is one of 10 extant species of grackle and is closely related to the boat-tailed grackle and the extinct slender-billed grackle.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Great-tailed Grackle?

The Great-tailed Grackle weighs around 160 g.

Where does the Great-tailed Grackle live?

Its breeding range: North America, Middle America, South America: southern USA through western, northern South America. It is most often recorded in United States, Costa Rica and Mexico.

When is the best time to see the Great-tailed Grackle?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in April (Northern Hemisphere).

Is the Great-tailed Grackle endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Great-tailed Grackle as Least Concern.

What does the Great-tailed Grackle eat?

Main food: Omnivore.

What family is the Great-tailed Grackle in?

It belongs to the family Oropendolas, New World Orioles, Blackbirds (Icteridae), order Passerines (Passeriformes).

At a glance

Weight
160 g
Habitat
Towns & farmland
Diet
Omnivore
Lifestyle
Active on the ground
Migration
Resident (barely migrates)
Conservation
Least Concern
More measurements
Wing
169 mm
Tail
170 mm
Bill
43 mm
Tarsus
48 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

North America, Middle America, South America: southern USA through western, northern South America

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Classification

Order
Passerines Passeriformes
Genus
Quiscalus

Other birds in the genus Quiscalus

Common GrackleCommon GrackleQuiscalus quisculaNicaraguan GrackleNicaraguan GrackleQuiscalus nicaraguensisCarib GrackleCarib GrackleQuiscalus lugubrisGreater Antillean GrackleGreater Antillean GrackleQuiscalus nigerBoat-tailed GrackleBoat-tailed GrackleQuiscalus majorYellow-breasted ChatYellow-breasted ChatIcteria virensYellow-headed BlackbirdYellow-headed BlackbirdXanthocephalus xanthocephalusBobolinkBobolinkDolichonyx oryzivorusWestern MeadowlarkWestern MeadowlarkSturnella neglectaEastern MeadowlarkEastern MeadowlarkSturnella magna
Great-tailed Grackle

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Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Ad Konings. ↗

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