An Odd Late Season Sighting: Great-tailed Grackles at CSU Stanislaus

I haven't seen too many birds at CSU Stanislaus of late. Ever since Daylight Savings, I've been arriving on campus after dark, which is good for seeing the Black-crowned Night Heron in Willow Lake, but not much else. It is finals week, so I arrived a few minutes before sunset yesterday to get the exams ready and I decided to take a quick stroll. I noticed a pair of blackbirds that seemed larger than expected. I then saw how they were holding their heads (beak pointed towards the sky) and realized they must be Great-tailed Grackles (Quiscalus mexicanus).

In a world where most birds are under severe stress from habitat loss and other problems, the Grackles are thriving. They've "invaded" much of the United States from the south (they were originally a tropical species), but they aren't invasive in the usual sense of the word (they are not an unnaturally introduced species like the Starlings or European Sparrows). They do well in human habitats, and the warming climate allows them to thrive at higher latitudes. They've spread naturally.

Still, it was a bit odd to see them yesterday. They usually arrive in the spring and hang out during the summer months and then disappear again, but these two apparently like the accommodations at the University and have lingered into the colder months.

Great-tailed Grackle at the Merced National Wildlife Refuge

Great-tailed Grackles (Quiscalus mexicanus) were originally confined to semitropical environments, but they do very well with humans and irrigated fields, and their range has expanded northward even as many other birds have declined precipitously. Although our region is north of the "official" range of the bird, I've seen them regularly on the campus at CSU Stanislaus. Their arrival is an omen of spring. It was still late February when I saw this female at the Bittern Marsh Trail at the Merced National Wildlife Refuge. They aren't the ones with the "great tail". It's just long. The tale of the male is just ridiculous (check it out here).

PS: I noticed that this is my 500th post at Geotripper's California Birds! It doesn't get nearly the traffic that Geotripper gets, but I appreciate everyone who stops by.

Great-tailed Grackles Invade Central California!

Something changed around here a couple of years ago. I teach an occasional class at CSU Stanislaus in Turlock, and there is a large pond adjacent to the Science Building. I had always noticed the egrets, ducks, and geese who took up residence there, but in the last few years I noticed a new arrival, a black bird with a ridiculously audacious tail and a piercing call. I found out eventually that they were Great-tailed Grackles (Quiscalus mexicanus) and that they were indeed a new species in the area, expanding their range from the south.

The Grackle barely ranged into southern Texas a century ago, but they do very well around irrigated fields, and thus have expanded north with agricultural development. The "official" range map doesn't even show them as residents in the north half of the Great Valley yet, but sightings have even reached northern Oregon and Washington.

I don't know why, but the grackles remind me more of theropod dinosaurs (the raptors and other meat-eaters) more than most birds. The theropods were indeed their ancestors, as they are for all birds. Something in their vivid eyes, perhaps.

The females barely look to be the same species. They are a dull brown color and are only half the size of the males. I got a shot of one that looked like it was collecting nesting material along the pond shore. The eyes, though. The dinosaurian eyes were the same. Thanks a lot Steven Spielberg!

Great-tailed Grackles arrive at CSU Stanislaus

When some birds leave, other birds arrive. The Sandhill Cranes and Snow, Ross's, and Cackling Geese have left our region for their breeding grounds in the far north, but other species are arriving from the south. This week I saw that the Great-tailed Grackles (Quiscalus mexicanus) have arrived at the Outdoor Education pond at CSU Stanislaus (I wrote of their arrival last spring as well). The birds are native to Mexico and Southern California, but they have expanded their territory to the north. We are at close to the northern extreme of their range in California.They've done well with humans, thriving on agricultural food sources (and human garbage). In some quarters they are considered to be agricultural pests.

As is often the case with birds, the males are the showy ones. They are an iridescent black with a fabulously long tail (hence the name, of course), and a loud whistling cry ("piercing" is a good description).

The females lack the long tail and black color. They are more of a plain brown. Were it not for the yellow eyes and sharp beak, it would be hard to call them the same species.

The males were shouting for attention. Here's a short video of one of them calling out at the pond.

Great-tailed Grackles Return to CSU Stanislaus

The pond outside my office at CSU Stanislaus was a great deal noisier this week. It didn't take long to find out why. The Great-tailed Grackles (Quiscalus mexicanus) have returned north from their winter homes. The region was feeling a bit empty after the geese and Sandhill Cranes left for the Arctic over the last few weeks, so it's nice to know that other species are coming here for the summer. They have a piercing whistling call that echoes across the pond.

You can tell they put their all into shouting at each other...

The Great-tailed Grackles are a newcomer in our region. Unlike many bird species, they have been vigorously expanding their range over the last few decades. In this case, they are not exactly an invasive species in the manner of Starlings or Eurasian Collared Doves. They are native to northern Mexico and the border states, and they do well in association with humans, especially their parking lots and garbage cans. This report (click here) outlines the nature and timing of their expansion.

The males are iridescent black and are much larger than the females, who are more of a buff color (above). And they have amazingly big tails that look out of proportion to their bodies. They breed in a number of environments, but seem to favor reeds and cattails like those that are found on the margin of the pond at the CSU. As such, they may compete with Red-wing Blackbirds. In any case, with their distinctive call, they have the effect of livening up the place.