March 27, 2010 | 
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Grackles don’t get enough respect. Sure, they are loud and boisterous. They hang out at dumpsters. They mass in large numbers and lack a sweet song. While all of this is true, they exhibit fantastic behavioral displays and are quite striking with their glossy, bluish-black iridescence (males). I spent a day watching Great-tailed Grackles (Quiscalus mexicanus) put on show after show. The above animation is a sequence of photos showing two males amongst tall grasses at the edge of a lake (White Rock Lake in Dallas, TX). I don’t speak “grackle,” but I’m pretty sure I get the gist of the situation! 
This is a female – the object of much attention. I have not seen the females display overt behaviors like the males, but I will be paying close attention in the coming weeks. I was surprised at the number of grackles amongst the grasses by the lake. I have seen grackles hopping around parking lots and pecking at french fries so often, that I think I’ve failed to appreciate how very interesting and attractive they are.
I’ll be posting more about grackles – here’s hoping I can capture the awesome ritual of the males showing off for the females! They aren’t so very different from us, are they? 
Posted in Birding
Absolutely right Amber – people just think of Grackles as parking lot annoyances and cities spend lots of money shooting off noisemakers and putting up netting just to keep them away from tourist attractions (You ought to see the effort put into keeping the San Antonio Riverwalk poop free!) But on their own or in large flocks, grackles have the most interesting behaviors. They are deliberate and curious and I’d suspect fairly intelligent. Nice irridescence on the male above.
I can only imagine the San Antonio Riverwalk and all of the birds it must attract. I have been there once or twice, but that was a long time ago. Just today I was shopping at the local farmer’s market, and spied a grackle making off with a peanut. Looked pretty smart to me!
I love it when the male fans his tail and literally chases females while vocalizing very loudly as you say. They exude self-confidence.
I noticed in the West End by the DART station when I did my jury-duty bit, they have something like a cannon go off to try to deter the Grackles from roosting there.
Right now, as you say, Amber, they are in show-mode!
Yes! They do chase after the girls – that is exactly what I want to capture, thought I think it will be difficult with my camera. It’ll be fun trying!
I too love Great-tailed Grackles.
You know, Capri – when I was just discovering the world of birding, I quickly learned that many birders would never say what you just said. Silly, isn’t it? I think they’re fascinating, and I think we’re luck we have them in such abundance that we can see them just about every day.
I love your website! It was nice meeting you today on our hike
Rachel, it was truly a pleasure to talk with you and your family today. Glad you like Birder’s Lounge – drop by for a visit any time!
The animation is spectacular! And I love the photos, Amber. Gorgeous. As you know I’m rather fond of grackles. I agree they get little respect, and that’s a terrible shame for all the beauty and personality they offer.
Hi Jason – it is always fun to make the animations. Glad you like it!
Great post and pictures, Amber! I love it when the male grackles line up in a row on a railing or wire and all stick their heads and great long beaks straight up in the air. I think they are trying to look even bigger.
My nephew once asked me, what are those black birds that sound like pinball machines? I think that’s a great description of their weird vocalizations.
Your photos are so good–you really captured these birds. We have a yard full of them but I’ve never gotten a really good photo.
Kay
Hi Kay – when the males point their beaks in the air, they tend to sway a bit, right? Totally looks like they are showing off! I never would have thought of the pinball machine sound…but I love that your nephew made the connection and even asked you about them. A little naturalist, maybe?
[...] Coakley at Birder’s Lounge writes about the Great-Tailed Grackle in A Little Respect. I agree with her, they’re pretty birds that I enjoy watching — but bring [...]
Hi Amber, I’m a fellow “I and the Bird” carnival rider, paying a visit. I am FASCINATED by grackles – I’ve never seen anything like the Dallas grackles. I now live in (and blog about) nature in NYC, but I lived for 16 years in Dallas, spending many happy hours at White Rock Lake. Just a week or two ago, I was trying to describe Dallas grackles to a fellow Manhattan nature watcher (we were actually watching for our then-resident Central Park coyote, at the time). Here we have only Common Grackles, which are plenty noisy but not quite as extreme in sound & looks. Don’t know yet about behavior. Love the animation!
I cannot imagine how different life must be for you in NY, as opposed to Dallas. I just think, “cold!” I CAN imagine how fun it would be to describe the antics of the Great-tailed Grackles to someone who had never seen them. Everyone seems to like the animations I put together every so often – I’ll keep ‘em coming!
When my parents moved from Ohio to Arizona, they told me excitedly about all the different exotic-sounding birds that made such a racket outside their new place every morning. The first time I visited I realized that what they were hearing was actually a flock of Great-tailed Grackles (which are MUCH noisier than the Common Grackles in Ohio). They were a little disappointed, but I’m with you, I never get tired of watching Great-tails!
Hi Rebecca – I know that your parents will enjoy watching those great-tails!
I love to watch them strut and puff up their feathers.
Yep! Worthy of more posts, for sure.
Wow Amber, these are super shots of the Great-tailed Grackle! You have really captured their iridescent colors and the animation is great. I love seeing them when they visit here. I guess I should say when I hear them because I usually hear them before seeing them. Their loud rising whistle is something to experience!
Hi Larry – they are really strutting their stuff now. The sound of a whole flock is pretty amazing – I’m going to see if I can get a decent video/audio from my blackberry.
Last summer, on an unbearably hot day, I was in the drive-thru at Wendy’s. I looked to my left and saw a grackle, sitting on the bush. He had one leg tucked up, looking straight up, with it’s mouth gaping open, and as I watched, started leaning over enough that I thought he would fall over! I looked in my rearview mirror, and the person behind me was laughing along with me. It told everyone, without saying a word, just what it thought about the heat. Grackles never fail to entertain me. I love when they puff up for a female, and run in circles around her to show off.
Hi Cortney – I’ve seen that open-beak thing when its really hot too, but not the nearly-falling-over part. I agree, the running-of-circles around the female is quite a show. I can hardly wait to get a video camera to record one of those displays.