Boat-tailed Grackle Photo Gallery
Adult male
Large, lanky songbird with a long V-shaped tail, long legs, and a long, pointed bill. Adult males are glossy black overall with an iridescent purple sheen on the head. Individuals in Florida and along the Gulf Coast have a dark eye.
© Marie Chappell / Macaulay LibraryFlorida, March 23, 2016Female
Large and lanky with a long tail and bill. Females are dark brown above and russet below, with a subtle face pattern made up of a pale eyebrow, dark cheek, and pale mustache stripe.
© Patrick J. Blake / Macaulay LibraryFlorida, October 11, 2016Adult male
Adult males perform a variety of displays, often in pairs or larger groups.
© Sarah Dzielski / Macaulay LibraryFlorida, April 02, 2017Not all videos have soundImmature male
Immature males are pale below and dark above with a dark eyeline and pale mustache stripe.
© Brandon Trentler / Macaulay LibraryFlorida, May 28, 2016Adult male
Eye color ranges from dull brown along the western Gulf Coast to bright yellow along the Atlantic Coast.
© Darren Clark / Macaulay LibraryLouisiana, March 16, 2015Adult male
Walks slowly over the ground or in shallow water, pecking or probing at soil, litter, or low vegetation typically near salt and freshwater areas along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts.
© Benjamin Clock / Macaulay LibraryNew Jersey, May 12, 2012Not all videos have soundFemale
Large and lanky with a long tail and bill. Females are dark brown above and russet below, with a subtle face pattern made up of a pale eyebrow, dark cheek, and pale mustache stripe.
© William Keim / Macaulay LibrarySouth Carolina, April 19, 2015Adult male
Males display by holding their bills straight into the air. Gregarious year-round.
© Lynden Schofield / Macaulay LibraryFlorida, June 19, 2012Adult male
Long-legged blackbird with a long bill. In good light, adult males have a greenish-blue iridescence.
© LAURA FRAZIER / Macaulay LibraryMaryland, February 19, 2017Habitat
A coastal species associated with saltwater through most of its range, but in Florida often found well away from the immediate coast.
© Jay McGowan / Macaulay LibraryNew York, May 23, 2015Compare with Similar Species
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Species in This Family
Troupials and Allies(Order: Passeriformes, Family: Icteridae)
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