How to identify it
Male glossy black with an iridescent bluish or purplish head, neck and breast; female less glossy. [1][2]
Long tail with a crease down the middle, whitish-yellow eyes, strong bill; 28-34 cm. [1][2]
Bronzed form: bronzy body contrasts with blue-black head; Purple form of the southeast has purple and green gloss with less contrast. [1][2]
Juveniles have dark eyes; molting birds in late summer have short or ragged tails. [1][2]
Compared with the great-tailed grackle: Larger with a much longer tail and more evenly coloured male. [1][2]
Compared with the rusty blackbird: Smaller, with a shorter tail and thinner bill. [1][2]
Species it is confused with
Check these before deciding what you are looking at. If you are not certain what it is, do not shoot.
- Great-tailed grackle · Quiscalus mexicanus
- Rusty blackbird · Euphagus carolinus
Where it lives
Open or semi-open country: farmland, towns, groves and streamsides; forages in farm fields, pastures, suburban lawns, feedlots and marshes. [1][2]
How it behaves
Migrates in flocks by day; partial migrant, present all year in much of the eastern U.S. [1][2]
Forages walking or wading, also up in trees and shrubs, usually in flocks when not nesting; sometimes steals food from other birds [1][2]
Omnivorous: mostly grains and seeds in winter and migration, insects in summer, also crayfish, minnows, frogs, eggs and young of other birds [1][2]
Nests and roosts in dense trees, especially conifers, near open areas [1][2]
Where it is listed for removal or nuisance take
These authorities list this species as nuisance, invasive or unprotected wildlife that may be taken. This is not a game season.
Where legal take is listed
- Alberta — hunting · 2026 Alberta Guide to Hunting Regulations
- Ontario — hunting · Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act, 1997 (read via e-Laws .doc export)
- Québec — hunting · Périodes de chasse au petit gibier 2026-2028
- Indiana — nuisance or unprotected take · Indiana Hunting & Trapping Guide 2026-2027: Gamebirds
- Louisiana — nuisance or unprotected take · Depredation Order - Blackbird, Cowbird, and Grackle
- South Dakota — nuisance or unprotected take · SDCL 41-11-10 Birds not protected or conditionally protected
- Utah — nuisance or unprotected take · Utah Admin. Code R657-3b (birds and mammals: collection, importation, possession)
- Wyoming — nuisance or unprotected take · 50 CFR 21.150 Depredation order for blackbirds, cowbirds, crows, grackles, and magpies
Being listed is not an open season. Seasons, zones, licences, methods and limits decide whether this animal may be taken on a given day and place — check Hunt or the authority before you go. Listings read 2026-09-30.
Where it is found
Breeds from northeastern British Columbia and southern Mackenzie to Newfoundland, south to southern Texas, the Gulf Coast and southern Florida, west to Wyoming, Colorado and New Mexico; winters from Kansas, the southern Great Lakes and New England south.
Sources
Every claim above is attributed to one of these published sources.
- BIOLOGICALAudubon Field Guide: Common Grackle
National Audubon Society · reviewed 2026-09-30
National Audubon Society
NatureServe · reviewed 2026-09-30
NatureServe