By Tony Gazso, Interpretive Naturalist

Throughout the year, many of us are visited by a number of species of blackbirds in our parks and backyards. To the untrained eye they may all look the same, but a closer look reveals stunning, if subtle differences. Take the common grackle for instance. These cocky blackbirds strut around with a chip on their shoulder. You may think what does such a plain bird have to be cocky about? When the sunlight hits them right, however, you can see that these blackbirds aren’t black at all, but a beautiful array of iridescent colors. Their heads are a brilliant iridescent blue and sometimes purple, while their bodies are a metallic bronze. Atlantic coast common grackles are even more colorful, with bluish-green joining the mix along with much more purple! Common grackles are larger than other blackbirds in Ohio, with a long and lanky appearance. Their longer tails and beaks help them stand out from the crowd of blackbirds at a distance. 

Common grackles are opportunistic eaters. In other words, they’ll eat just about anything they can get their beaks on. In addition to seeds and nuts, common grackles will also eat invertebrates, small mammals, fish, and leeches, raid nests for eggs and baby birds, and even eat garbage (quite the menu!). Their favorite food, however, is corn. In fact, despite the scarecrow's name, it’s the grackle that is the corn farmers' biggest threat. It’s no wonder a group of them is known as an annoyance of grackles.
 
Common grackles are found here in northeast Ohio year-round. They thrive in a variety of habitats but typically nest near water, high in coniferous trees. Occasionally they find somewhat unusual spots to nest such as birdhouses, tree cavities and even other species’ nests–sometimes when they’re still occupied! Grackles will lay one or two broods a year, with up to seven eggs in each clutch. In some cases, they will nest in colonies containing hundreds of individuals.

The grackle has become somewhat of a mascot in the city of Austin, Texas with the phrase “Grackle got no boss” appearing on t-shirts and other merchandise. Even though theirs is the great-tailed grackle, the common grackle seems to share that same attitude–a loud, brash bird that does what it wants when it wants.