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

Etymology

Origin of grackle

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

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

He’s as close to a legit NFL head coach as a grackle is to an attack helicopter.

From Washington Post ● Dec. 14, 2021

The cardinal and grosbeak are both flying in different directions, giving them a sense of being at cross purposes with the grackle.

From New York Times ● Jul. 29, 2020

Age determination and molt in the boat-tailed grackle.

From Vertebrates from the Barrier Island of Tamaulipas, M?xico by Richard F. Johnston

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

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

So far the majority of birds reported as ailing have been fledgling blue jays, American robins, European starlings and common grackles, but other songbirds are also affected.

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 21, 2021

Brown thrashers, starlings, meadowlarks, grackles, and pheasants were virtually wipecTbut.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson