boat-tailed grackle

[boht-teyld]

noun

a large grackle, Quiscalus major, of the southeastern U.S., that folds its tail into a shape resembling the keel of a boat.

Origin of boat-tailed grackle

An Americanism dating back to 1830–40

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018