grackle

American  

[grak-uhl] / ˈgræk əl /

noun

• grackles
  plural

1. any of several long-tailed American birds of the family Icteridae, especially of the genus Quiscalus, having usually iridescent black plumage.

2. any of several Old World birds of the family Sturnidae, especially certain mynas.

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grackle British  

/ ˈɡrækəl /

noun

1. Also called: crow blackbird. any American songbird of the genera Quiscalus and Cassidix, having a dark iridescent plumage: family Icteridae (American orioles)

2. any of various starlings of the genus Gracula, such as G. religiosa ( Indian grackle or hill mynah )

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• grackles
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of grackle

1765–75; < New Latin Gracula name of genus, based on Latin grāculus jackdaw

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Explanation

A grackle is a shiny black bird that is commonly found in cities and backyards in the eastern part of North America. When grackles gather in groups, their harsh calls can sound like the electric buzzing of a power line. Grackles are larger than blackbirds and smaller than crows, with elongated beaks and legs. They appear black, but their feathers are beautifully iridescent in the sunshine, shining with blue and green. Grackles are scrappy foragers that are nearly omnivorous, and they tend to bully smaller birds away from bird feeders. Most scarecrows are actually used to frighten grackles, not crows.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

grackle grackles

It may have been a grackle, a goose, or some other wild bird that infected a cow in northern Texas.

From Salon ● Dec. 24, 2024

They compared the rapidly expanding great-tailed grackle with their closest relative, the boat-tailed grackle, who are not rapidly expanding their range.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 20, 2023

“There’s a disconnect between the house that’s built and the birds,” Mr. Marshall said of the crow and grackle.

From New York Times ● Jul. 29, 2020

Some 90% of the total loss came from just 12 bird families and 19 widespread bird species such as the dark-eyed junco, common grackle and house sparrows.

From Reuters ● Sep. 19, 2019

At Four O'Clock in the Morning 95   Purple grackle.

From A Bird-Lover in the West by Olive Thorne Miller

Evidence suggests that either a single cow was infected by viruses shed from birds — perhaps those geese, grackles, or blackbirds, he said.

From Salon ● May 23, 2024

Oddly, the dead birds on infected farms were not waterfowl, the migratory birds that typically spread the avian flu viruses to poultry, but “peridomestic” species such as grackles, blackbirds, and pigeons.

From Science Magazine ● Apr. 4, 2024

Next, when the location of the food was swapped, the researchers examined how quickly the grackles relearned where to find it.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 2, 2024

Even the common birds around here, like the grackles and house sparrows — they’re so fun to watch.

From New York Times ● Jun. 2, 2023

It was too clearly a waste, and the grackles set out at once to remedy the situation.

From This Side of Wild by Gary Paulsen

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