Much of the flora and fauna in North America is not native to our ecosystem but was imported from Europe.
Rock pigeons came from England with the first colonists in the 17th century and spread west with the pioneers. In 1851 an attempt at biological control of the Linden moth caterpillar in Brooklyn saw the introduction of the house sparrow, a terribly invasive and prolific little bird.
An admirer of Shakespeare decided the United States needed birds mentioned in the Bard’s writing and so released 60 European starlings in Central Park in 1890, which started a feathered invasion that continues to the chagrin of farmers to this day.
However, one bird made its way here without crossing the Atlantic and with no more than a nudge from its native range more than 500 years ago.
The great-tailed grackle (Quiscalus mexicanus) lived in the lowlands of the gulf coast in South and Central America until specimens of the bird were captured in 1490 during the reign of Aztec emperor Ahuizotl and brought north to the Valley of Mexico (geographically where Mexico City is today).
Prized for its purple and black iridescent feathers, the big birds were fed and protected by the Aztecs. The grackle population flourished and soon began moving north expanding its range from protected environs into the wild. By 1900 the birds had moved into the river valleys of southern Texas. They are now throughout the west and have been seen as far north as Minnesota and eat to Arkansas.
As its name suggests, the bird has a long, well-feathered, V-shaped tail. Males of the species are an iridescent black and purple with bright yellow eyes much like those of the Brewer’s blackbird. The much smaller and more plentiful females are a woody brown.
Great-tailed grackles are known for their flexibility and persistence when it comes to adapting to different environments. The bird’s expanding range has followed irrigated agriculture and urbanization. Flocks of grackle – called plagues – can be seen feeding in farmyards and newly-planted fields as well as on lawns, in parks and at dumpsites.
Grackles need open foraging areas near water where trees and hedgerows grow nearby. During the winter, its vegetarian diet consists of grains and ripe fruits. In the summer, like most bird species, they switch to a more carnivorous diet, preferring grasshoppers, spiders, bees, wasps, snails and worms. They can often be seen wading in water in search of frogs, fish or tadpoles, or in open areas snagging snakes or lizards.
Female grackles build nests made of grasses, weeds, rushes or bits of other plants high above ground. Often woven into the nest are plastic bags. ribbons, feathers or strings. Clutch size is usually one to five blue eggs. The birds’ estimated breeding population worldwide is more than 30 million.
Grackles are loud, social birds but according to folklore that wasn’t always so. Mexican legend states the grackle had no voice whatsoever until it stole seven songs from the sea turtle. The larceny left the turtle silent and the grackle full of songs of joy, sorrow and rage.
However it came to be, raucous plagues of great-tailed grackles are full-throated now to the point of being deafening when they sing en masse. The calls of male great-tailed grackles are distinctive with qualities some describe as metallic and mechanical. Keep an eye and ear out for the visitor from Veracruz that often forages with other blackbirds both in urban areas and in the wild places throughout the county.
The San Luis National Wildlife Refuge, Merced National Wildlife Refuge and the San Joaquin River National Wildlife Refuge comprise the San Luis National Wildlife Refuge Complex. Its headquarters and visitor center are located just north of Los Banos off Highway 165 at 7376 South Wolfsen Road. The refuges are open to visitors daily from one half-hour before sunrise to one half-hour after sunset. The visitor center is generally open Monday through Friday except federal holidays from 8 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
