Great-Tailed Grackle vs Brewer’s Blackbird

Great-Tailed Grackle

Quiscalus mexicanus

Also known as: Mexican Grackle

How to recognise a great-tailed grackle?

General appearance

The great-tailed grackle is a large, lanky bird with long legs and an iridescent plumage. It has a distinct wedge-shaped tail and a strong, pointed bill. Its coloration ranges from glossy black to purplish-blue in good light, and it often emits loud, varied calls that echo in open areas.

Male vs female

Males are larger with predominantly glossy black feathers and striking iridescence, mainly purplish-blue on the head and body. Females are smaller, predominantly brown, with lighter underparts and less iridescence. Males have longer tails which contribute to their distinctive silhouette.

Juvenile

Juvenile great-tailed grackles resemble adult females but have a more muted coloration and slightly shorter tails. As they mature, their plumage transitions to match their respective adult coloration, either glossy black for males or dark brown for females.

Size

15.0 - 18.1 in/4.1 - 9.3 oz

Habitat

Primary habitat

Great-tailed grackles largely occupy open and semi-open terrains such as groves, thickets, farms, towns, and city parks. They are found throughout different lowland landscapes.

Additional range

This species adapts to a variety of environments from farmland, marshes, irrigated fields to suburban lawns and brushy areas. They avoid true deserts, but can thrive near water sources in dry regions.

Range Map

What do great-tailed grackles like to eat?

Natural diet

The great-tailed grackle is omnivorous and has an extremely varied natural diet. It feeds on many insects and also consumes spiders, millipedes, snails, crayfish, tadpoles, small fish, lizards, and eggs and nestlings of other birds. Occasionally, it may also eat adult birds. In addition to animal matter, the grackle's diet includes a wide variety of seeds, waste grain, berries, fruits, and nuts.

Bird feeders

At bird feeders, great-tailed grackles are likely to consume seeds and grains, which are common provisions. They may also eat peanuts if available, taking advantage of the food offered by humans.

What does a great-tailed grackle sound like?

The Great-tailed Grackle boasts a multifaceted vocal repertoire, featuring a wide range of whistles, clucks, and hissing notes that can be both raucous and melodic. These vocalizations often fit into varying patterns such as falling, flat, rising, and undulating. These complex calls captivate with diverse tonalities like buzz, chatter, chirp or chip, hi, rattle, scream, trill, and whistle, making the Great-tailed Grackle's communication exceptionally intricate and distinct amongst avian species.

Call

Audio by Niels Krabbe

/ CC BY-SA 4.0

Call

Audio by Niels Krabbe

/ CC BY-SA 4.0

Call

Audio by Gabriel Leite

/ CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

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Brewer’s Blackbird

Euphagus cyanocephalus

How to recognise a Brewer's blackbird?

General appearance

The Brewer’s blackbird is a medium-sized songbird with a slender body and a rounded head. It has a pointed bill and relatively long legs. The overall plumage is glossy with an iridescent sheen under certain lighting conditions, predominantly appearing black from a distance.

Male vs female

Male Brewer’s blackbirds are characterized by their glossy black overall color, with a purplish sheen on the head and greenish gloss on the body and wings. Females, however, display a more subdued appearance, with brownish-gray plumage, pale throat, and lack the iridescence that males exhibit. Their eyes are darker than those of males.

Juvenile

Juvenile Brewer’s blackbirds resemble females but are generally duller in tone. They have brownish feathers with a streaky appearance and lack the iridescence seen in adults. Unlike adults, their eyes are typically dark brown rather than the yellow seen in mature males.

Size

7.9 - 9.8 in/2.0 - 2.4 oz

Habitat

Primary habitat

The Brewer's blackbird prefers open and semi-open landscapes ranging from fields, prairies, farms to parks. It's often seen in shrubby areas near water, aspen groves in mountain meadows, and shores.

Additional range

Moreover, this bird adapts well to human-altered environments; farmland, irrigated or plowed fields, suburban lawns, and city parking lots are common places to find it.

Range Map

What do Brewer’s blackbirds like to eat?

Natural diet

The Brewer's blackbird primarily feeds on a diverse array of insects and seeds. Its insect diet includes grasshoppers, crickets, beetles, aphids, caterpillars, and termites, as well as some spiders, snails, and tiny crustaceans. Additionally, it consumes many seeds from grasses and weeds and also indulges in waste grain. During the summer months, its diet is complemented by berries.

Bird feeders

Brewer's blackbirds are known to visit bird feeders, where they commonly eat grains and seeds. They often consume cracked corn, millet, and sunflower seeds. While they prefer natural foraging, feeders provide an additional food source, especially in urban and suburban areas.

What does a Brewer's blackbird sound like?

The Brewer's blackbird produces an array of vocalizations including gurgles, squawks, and whistles. Its call patterns can be described as either falling or rising. The call types vary considerably from a buzzing sound to chatter, chirp or chip, and whistle. These sounds give a glimpse into the bird's complex communication system.

Call

Audio by Paul Marvin

/ CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Call

Audio by Paul Marvin

/ CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Call

Audio by Jonathon Jongsma

/ CC BY-SA 3.0

Call

Audio by Jonathon Jongsma

/ CC BY-SA 3.0

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Great-Tailed Grackle

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Brewer’s Blackbird

Great-Tailed Grackle

Quiscalus mexicanus

Also known as: Mexican Grackle

General appearance

The great-tailed grackle is a large, lanky bird with long legs and an iridescent plumage. It has a distinct wedge-shaped tail and a strong, pointed bill. Its coloration ranges from glossy black to purplish-blue in good light, and it often emits loud, varied calls that echo in open areas.

Male vs female

Males are larger with predominantly glossy black feathers and striking iridescence, mainly purplish-blue on the head and body. Females are smaller, predominantly brown, with lighter underparts and less iridescence. Males have longer tails which contribute to their distinctive silhouette.

Juvenile

Juvenile great-tailed grackles resemble adult females but have a more muted coloration and slightly shorter tails. As they mature, their plumage transitions to match their respective adult coloration, either glossy black for males or dark brown for females.

Size

15.0 - 18.1 in/4.1 - 9.3 oz

There's more to learn about Great-Tailed Grackle

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Brewer’s Blackbird

Euphagus cyanocephalus

General appearance

The Brewer’s blackbird is a medium-sized songbird with a slender body and a rounded head. It has a pointed bill and relatively long legs. The overall plumage is glossy with an iridescent sheen under certain lighting conditions, predominantly appearing black from a distance.

Male vs female

Male Brewer’s blackbirds are characterized by their glossy black overall color, with a purplish sheen on the head and greenish gloss on the body and wings. Females, however, display a more subdued appearance, with brownish-gray plumage, pale throat, and lack the iridescence that males exhibit. Their eyes are darker than those of males.

Juvenile

Juvenile Brewer’s blackbirds resemble females but are generally duller in tone. They have brownish feathers with a streaky appearance and lack the iridescence seen in adults. Unlike adults, their eyes are typically dark brown rather than the yellow seen in mature males.

Size

7.9 - 9.8 in/2.0 - 2.4 oz

There's more to learn about Brewer’s Blackbird

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How to tell the Great-Tailed Grackle from the Brewer’s Blackbird

Visual differences

The Great-Tailed Grackle is larger (15-18 inches, 115-265g), with glossy black to purplish-blue iridescent plumage and a long, wedge-shaped tail. Its bill is strong and pointed. Males are larger with extensive iridescence, females brown with lighter underparts. In contrast, the Brewer's Blackbird is smaller (8-10 inches, 58-67g), males glossy black with purplish and greenish sheens, and females brown-gray with pale throats. Brewer's Blackbird has a slender body, rounded head, and lacks the Grackle's distinctive long tail.

Key differences and behavior

The Great-Tailed Grackle and Brewer's Blackbird exhibit distinct behaviors and habitats despite some overlap. Grackles are larger (15-18 inches) and extremely adaptable, thriving in urban, farmlands, and semi-open areas, often forming massive winter roosts. In contrast, Brewer's Blackbirds, smaller at 8-10 inches, prefer open fields and suburban spaces, nesting in smaller colonies. Both birds are omnivorous, but Great-Tailed Grackles show a broader diet including small vertebrates, whereas Brewer’s Blackbirds focus on insect control, beneficial for agriculture. During mating, grackle males are polygamous, displaying prominently, while Brewer's engage in mutual feeding and less showy courtship. They both adapt to human environments, but Great-Tailed Grackles are more aggressive in their nesting and feeding practices, frequently stealing materials and food.