Millions of our Minnesota common grackles winter in Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi; the first ones returned to the Twin Cities area on March 17 this year. The grackle is the foot-long blackbird with bright yellow eyes. They appear black at a distance but are highly iridescent. The head iridescence may be green, blue or purple, depending on how the light hits. They have a long, keel-shaped tail and fairly long black bills. Female grackles look similar to males, only duller and a bit smaller.The range of the common grackle extends east of the Rocky Mountains from southern Canada to the Gulf States. They are a summer resident throughout nearly all of Minnesota and often nest in evergreens. Their food includes insects, frogs, mice, seeds and wild fruits. Large flocks may damage grain crops. At feeders they especially like cracked corn.
The word "grackle" is derived from the Latin word "graculus" meaning "to cough," and the bird does have a loud raspy call. Common grackles don't really have a song. We may hear clucks and high-pitched rising screeches like a rusty gate hinge, which in no way can compete with the refined notes of American robins and northern cardinals. Yet female grackles have always found the rasping notes of the male common grackles attractive.
