Boat-tailed Grackles
Boat-tailed Grackles are a coastal grackle species, found along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts and all of Florida.
They are noisy scavengers. I’ve had to chase a small flock from our campsite a few times (sending them on to someone else’s hehe).
Boat-tailed Grackles (males)
Boat-tailed Grackle (male)
The females are half the size of the males and more shy, usually staying out of sight.
Boat-tailed Grackle (female)
Boat-tailed Grackle (male) chomping on a seed
For the males, eye color ranges from bright yellow along the Atlantic Coast to a dull brown along the western Gulf Coast.
Boat-tailed Grackle (male)
It’s a very attractive bird, both male and female. ❤️
I think they are too! But boy, they are loud. 😉
Handsome males with iridescent plumage!
Very handsome and they know it, stretching to show off! 😅
Beautiful
Many don’t really take a look at them because there’s so many and they can be annoying. But you are right, they are beautiful!
👍
Superb clicks!
Thank you!
It’s funny that what you might consider to be a very common bird and a bit of a pest is something I’ve never seen nor heard of! Both male and female look like beautiful birds.
The males can be a bit comical at times, when they walk, they take long strides, and noisy, oh my! But in habitat, they are stunning when the light hits the males just right. I think the gals are pretty too!
You’ve captured the males’ lovely iridescence very well, Donna. Though noisy, they sure are pretty to look at!
Thank you, Eliza! They are pretty when in habitat and the lighting is just right.
Very nice images Donna! Enjoyed seeing them!
Thanks Reed!
Super post of the Boat-tailed Grackles.
Have a good weekend, Donna.
Thank you, Isabel, have a good weekend too.
I so enjoyed your photos of the boat-tailed grackles, Donna. The males with their iridescence are so beautiful, and you captured them well in the light. Also good images highlighting their spectacular tails. Wonderful info of a bird I don’t see often, but love it when I do.
Thanks Jet, the males are everywhere and let you know it, lol. The females have really kept in hiding, I was thrilled to get a pretty shot of one at a marina. She’s what enticed me to really put effort into getting the male photos to post for comparison since they are so different. 🙂
I love these grackles.They are so good looking and they know how to pose for pictures. You did a great job with the camera. 🙂
Thank you, HJ! It took a lot of shots, lol, they seem to always be moving and I would lose focus. 🙂
I’ve never heard of grackles before, the males look stunning with the shimmer of colours on their feathers. The one on the beach looks like a dude with attitude as he strides along! 😀
We have three species, there’s a Common Grackle, smaller with no grand tail to show off, and then a Great-tailed exclusive to our Southwest U.S. 🙂 You’re correct on their stride, they take long ones, it looks comical, this fella had me laughing at him. 🙂
Aw, the female was looking right at you. Perfect! 😁👏
I was excited with the female shot, the males are a dime a dozen. hehe 🙂
A shot worth being excited about. 😁
Your photo of the female is so beautiful! Wonderful work!
Thank you! I think she is a beauty too!! She didn’t pose but a few seconds and was gone lickity-split!
Great pictures! I had no idea there were different kinds of grackles. It looks like the ones I saw in St. Marys, Georgia eight years ago were boat-tailed grackles, too. Thank you! I learned something new today. 🙂
Thanks Barbara, and you’re welcome! The boat-tails were named because their tails look like boat rudders in their stance profile. 🙂
I think they are very pretty and interesting to photo. And yet, there are restaurants near Charleston that have the outdoor dinning invaded by them.
Like me, they do love outdoor dining. Once one finds a snack, suddenly all their buddies appear. 🙂
These are lovely, Donna. Nice to see them in these natural settings.
Thank you, Belinda! I didn’t think parking lots would look so pretty, lol. 😉
Great shots! Love their iridescence.
Thank you, they do look so shiny!
Have mercy! I had never encountered a Grackle until I moved to Central Texas. They were Great-tailed Grackles and are most likely just as noisy. They resemble each other so much. Those crazy birds can sound like sirens & breaking glass. A group of them in a tree in the parking lot of a grocery store scared the crap out of me. I didn’t know birds could sound like that.
The males are funny when it is breeding season.
😅 😂 I’ve had the boat-tails here in the campground making crazy noises too, several times they’ve had me checking out “what bird’s making that sound?” hehe I’ve not photographed a Great-tailed, hopefully some day. 😉
You certainly caught that iridescent color of the males! They are quite impressive.
Thank you, Gunta! Their stand-tall profile really makes them shine every feather. 🙂