12.5 inches long. The Common Grackle is a large blackbird with a very long keel-shaped tail and long bill. The eye is a pale yellow color. The adult has entirely black plumage with purple or greenish-purple iridescence on the head. The body can appear to be iridescent bronze in the right light. The juvenile has a dark eye and dark brown plumage.
The Common Grackle is a common breeder that arrives early and departs late. It can be seen as early as mid February and then up until early December. Some birds can overwinter.
The Common Grackle is gregarious, nests in colonies, and frequently gathers in large noisy flocks. It nests in trees, especially dense evergreens such as junipers. The male displays by fluffing out his shoulder feathers to make a ruffed collar. He also droops his wings while singing. Grackles generally walk, rather than hop, on the ground where they forage for invertebrates, fruits, and grain. In late summer molting birds may have a short ragged tail. The song is a short creaky “kssh-ka-leeeea”.
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